Alberto Rubio
The Bangladeshi ambassador to Spain, Mohammad Sarwar Mahmood, called for “greater firmness” from the international community over the situation of the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, who have remained in their territory for seven years, during the reception he gave to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of his country’s independence.
The “protracted presence of such a large number of refugees threatens the economy, environment, security and political stability of Bangladesh and, if not resolved soon, could destabilise the entire region,” the ambassador said, before calling on “our friends and partners to be more assertive about returning these people to their homeland with honour and dignity. In this respect, the Director General for North America, Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Moreno, assured that “Spain will continue to support Bangladesh with humanitarian aid”.
After describing the situation of refugees from Myanmar as “ethnic cleansing”, the ambassador did the same by condemning “in the strongest terms Israel’s brutal genocide, indiscriminate massacre and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people”. He expressed support for “an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital”.
This support was also endorsed by Carlos Moreno, who reiterated the government’s support for the “two-state solution”. He also insisted on the “condemnation of Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine”.
Bilateral relations
The good political relationship between the two governments, which are committed to multilateralism and respect for international law, materialised in the holding of the first consultations at the level of directors general in 2022 in Dhaka. Both governments are already working to hold the second meeting later this year.
Regarding economic relations between the two countries, Moreno and Mahmood agreed that they are “excellent” and can still prosper further. While the ambassador identified “leather, pharmaceutical production, agro-industry, light engineering and the hotel industry” as the sectors with the greatest potential, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Spain’s interest in “increasing collaboration in defence”.
Currently, Spain is the second largest destination of Bangladeshi exports to Europe (3.68 billion dollars in 2022-23) and Bangladesh is Spain’s fourth largest trading partner in Asia after China, Japan and India. The Ambassador recalled that Bangladesh has established “a conducive framework for foreign investment with one of the most liberal investment regimes in the world”.
Mahmood finally referred to the importance of the 60,000 Bengalis living in Spain —”the third largest community in Europe”— because “they contribute positively to the Spanish economy” and who, according to Carlos Moreno, “can also be very fruitful in promoting educational and cultural collaboration between the two countries”
