Bangladesh has offered drugs and personal protective equipment (PPE) to Slovenia for fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Non-resident Ambassador Md. Abu Zafar made the offer during his farewell call on with Speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia Igor Zorčič at the latter’s office in Ljubljana, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Abu Zafar also met President Borut Pahorat in Ljubljana. He conveyed the greetings of Bangladesh President, Prime Minister and the Speaker during the separate meetings.
He also sought support for resolving the Rohingya crisis. Slovenia will assume the Presidency of the European Union in the second-half of 2021.
The foreign ministry said the Ambassador extended “congratulations” to the Speaker for “successful” containment of COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia and informed that “Bangladesh is ready to provide Remdesivir and PPEs to Slovenia at a competitive price.”
He also informed that Slovenia can import vegetables and fish from Bangladesh at a competitive price. The Slovenian President “highly appreciated the excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Slovenia”.
He thanked the Ambassador for his “relentless efforts” in this regard. “The President also rendered an award (a Bird of Gratitude) signed by him to the Ambassador as the recognition of his good works to take the bilateral relations to a new height,” the foreign ministry said.
The President appreciated Bangladesh’s socio-economic progress in recent times under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Ambassador briefed the President about the current situation of the Rohingya crisis and requested for Slovenian support in the European Union and other international forumsfor an immediate and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to their ancestral lands in Myanmar.
“The President promised about all possible support to Bangladesh in this regard.”
The Ambassador informed the President that Bangladesh can provide skilled and semi-skilled workers to Slovenia to boost its economic activities.
At the meeting with the Speaker, the Ambassador requested the Slovenian government to extend its full support and cooperation during the future EU deliberations and decisions on the whole gamut of policy support and operational cooperation to LDCs, particularly the Countries in Transition, so that Bangladesh can successfully attain its transition from the LDC status to become a Developing Country in 2024 and beyond.
He also requested for the support of Slovenian Members in the EU Parliament to support Bangladesh on Rohingya issue as well as on the to the Global Compact on Migration and the Joint Statement on the Impact of COVID-19 on Migrants.
Abu Zafar will take up his new assignment as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates soon, the foreign ministry said.
