Bangladesh seeks Slovenia’s support on Rohingya issue

The ambassador also informed the Slovenian president that Bangladesh can provide skilled and semi-skilled workers to Slovenia to boost its economic activities

Rohingya camps south of Cox's Bazar in southeast Bangladesh that now make up the world's largest refugee settlement, home to more than 900,000 people. Balukhali camp, Bangladesh, on 28 January 2019.Thomson Reuters Foundation

Slovenian president Borut Pahor has assured Bangladesh of extending its support for an immediate and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to their ancestral lands in Myanmar, reports news agency UNB.

Slovenia will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second-half of 2021, said the foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Non-resident ambassador of Bangladesh to Slovenia Md. Abu Zafar met the president at his office in Ljubljana recently and briefed him about the current situation of the Rohingya crisis.

The ambassador also requested for Slovenian support in the European Union and other international forums for an immediate and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.

The president appreciated Bangladesh’s remarkable socio-economic progress in recent times under the leadership of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The ambassador informed the president that Bangladesh can provide skilled and semi-skilled workers to Slovenia to boost its economic activities.

Abu Zafar also met the speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia Igor Zorčič at the latter’s office in Ljubljana.

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

During the meeting with the president, ambassador Zafar conveyed the warm greetings and felicitation from the president of Bangladesh and expressed his gratitude for the support and cooperation extended to him during his tenure.

The 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 hight.

At the meeting with the speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia, Bangladesh ambassador conveyed the warm greetings from the speaker of Bangladesh parliament.

He 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.

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.

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.

Ambassador Zafar is expected to take up new assignment as Bangladesh ambassador to the United Arab Emirates soon.

Both the president of Slovenia and the speaker of the Slovenian parliament wished him success for the next assignment.