Mr. Reto Siegfried Renggli, Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh congratulated Ambassador Mr. Jashim Uddin on his appointment as the Foreign Secretary, when he paid his maiden courtesy call on him this afternoon at MOFA.
The Foreign Secretary highlighted the Interim Government’s priorities and reform initiatives, including formation of 6 (six) commissions in this regard. He appreciated the Swiss government for its pledge to support the Interim Government’s reform measures. The Foreign Secretary and the Swiss Ambassador expressed the two countries’ desire to transform Bangladesh-Switzerland bilateral relations into a broad-based economic partnership. The Foreign Secretary sought strong Swiss support at WTO in deciding Bangladesh’s post LDC graduation trading terms. He also expected that the Swiss government would extend DFQF market access to Bangladeshi products at least until 2029. The Swiss Ambassador assured to convey Bangladesh’s request to the appropriate Swiss authorities. He also hoped that Bangladesh would consider setting up its resident diplomatic mission in Swiss capital Bern following its LDC graduation.
The Foreign Secretary lauded contributions of SMEs in Swiss economy and sought Swiss support in upgrading Bangladesh’s SME sector through institutional collaboration. The Swiss Ambassador informed that around 98% of Swiss companies belongs to SME category and assured to look into possible collaboration in this regard. The Foreign Secretary invited more Swiss investment into Bangladesh for mutual benefit. The Swiss Ambassador acknowledged Bangladesh as a tremendously potential market and stressed on level playing field to attract new Swiss investments. The Foreign Secretary assured the Ambassador of cooperation in eliminating the challenges faced by the Swiss investors. Both sides also discussed early implementation of the Bangladesh-Switzerland MoU on Knowledge and Skills Enhancement.
The Foreign requested for cooperation of the Swiss authorities in identifying and returning illegal assets deposited in the Swiss banks by some Bangladeshi nationals. The Swiss Ambassador assured all possible cooperation in this regard as per international standards and procedures.
The two sides also discussed Rohingya crisis and the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland- Myanmar, with safety, security and rights. The Swiss Ambassador assured more humanitarian support to the Rohingyas as well as to the host communities in Cox’s Bazar.