Home Adviser requests Belarus to open embassy in Dhaka
Home Adviser Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) today requested a European country Belarus to open its embassy in Dhaka.
“Belarus now has an honorary consulate of Belarus in Dhaka. But since the main embassy is located in New Delhi, the people of Bangladesh are suffering due to delay, increased costs and harassment in visa and consular activities. So, it is necessary to open a full-fledged embassy of Belarus in Dhaka,” he said.
He made the appeal when non-resident ambassador of Belarus to Bangladesh (based in New Delhi) Mikhail Kasko paid a courtesy call at his ministry’s office room at Bangladesh Secretariat here this afternoon.
The adviser said that Bangladesh established diplomatic relations with Belarus in 1992.
“There is cooperation between the two countries in various sectors including trade, agriculture, education, defence, technology, which is expanding day by day,” he said.
He mentioned that Bangladesh is one of the largest importers of fertilizer from Belarus.
“For these reasons, the communication between the commoners of the two countries is gradually increasing,” he said.
When the ambassador requested to take back a Belarusian citizen from Bangladesh jail, the adviser said that the Belarusian citizen has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case.
“Moreover, the case is pending in the High Court and there is no agreement between the two countries regarding the exchange of convicted criminals through diplomatic channels,” he said.
The adviser said that Belarus has good relations with Bangladesh.
But a criminal is a criminal regardless of the country, he said, adding that however, Bangladesh will provide maximum cooperation in this regard.
The meeting discussed various issues relating to law and order and security between the two countries, prevention of illegal migration and human trafficking, opening of a full-fledged embassy of Belarus in Dhaka and increasing trade and commerce.
The meeting was attended among others by Consul of the Consulate of Belarus in Dhaka Aniruddha K. Roy, Additional Secretary (Political and ICT) Khandaker Md Mahabubur Rahman, Joint Secretary (Political-1) M Jasim Uddin Khan.