Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday urged the European Union to relocate its visa centres for Bangladeshis from Delhi to Dhaka or to any other neighbouring country.
He made the call when a 19-member EU delegation, led by Michael Miller, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, met him at the Chief Adviser鈥簊 Office in Tejgaon in Dhaka.
The European Union, on the other hand, observed huge foreign direct investment potential in Bangladesh, leading to a tentative schedule of starting a discussion on the matter of ease of doing business in Bangladesh in January, according to an EU statement shared on the verified page of European Union in Bangladesh.
The EU also recalled its offer to boost smart, secure, and open links via the Global Gateway strategy and mentioned the January 2025 visit of the vice-president of the European Investment Bank, said the EU statement.
According to a chief adviser office statement, the chief adviser told the EU delegation that as India has restricted visas for Bangladeshis, many students are unable to go to Delhi to get visas for EU countries.
As a result, he said, uncertainty has arisen about their educational careers, while universities in Europe are not getting Bangladeshi students.
鈥業f the visa office is shifted to Dhaka or any neighbouring country, both Bangladesh and the European Union will benefit,鈥� he added.
As many as 15 EU diplomats expressed their views in the two-and-a-half-hour meeting.
Paying tribute to the martyrs and injured in the July-August uprising, Yunus briefly outlined the oppression, exploitation, enforced disappearances, and human rights violations over the past 16 years during the Awami League regime in the country.
Stating that misinformation is being spread against Bangladesh on a large scale, Yunus also sought the EU鈥檚 cooperation to fight the misinformation.
Yunus also informed that dictator Sheikh Hasina and her aides, who were forced to flee the country in the July uprising, are trying to destabilise the country with the huge amount of money they laundered.
During the meeting, foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain informed EU representatives that Bulgaria has already shifted its visa centre for Bangladeshis to Indonesia and Vietnam. He urged other countries to follow the same process.
The EU representatives expressed their full support to the chief adviser in the reform process and vowed to stand by him in the aim of building a new Bangladesh by providing advice and recommendations, said the chief adviser鈥簊 media wing release.
EU participants underlined their readiness to help Bangladesh achieve a successful and inclusive transition, underpinned by human rights, the rule of law, and good governance, leading to democratic elections.
The EU confirmed that it will use its resources to help Bangladesh deliver in line with the expectations of its citizens.
The EU recognised the key role of Bangladesh for hosting more than a million Rohingya refugees.
After the meeting, environment, forest, and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told journalists, 鈥榳e asked about getting trade benefits from the EU in their market so that Bangladesh can graduate from the Least Developed Country status.
鈥榃e have talked about climate change and solving the Rohingya problem,鈥� she said while briefing journalists at the gate of the chief adviser鈥簊 state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka.
The envoys who participated in the meeting are: Christian Brix Moller, Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh; Marie Masdupuy, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh; Achim Tr禄ster, Ambassador of Germany to Bangladesh; Antonio Alessandro, Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh; Gabriel Sistiaga Ochoa de Chinchetru, Ambassador of Spain to Bangladesh; Nicholas Weeks, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh; Michael Miller, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Bangladesh; Andre Carstens, CDA a.i., Embassy of the Netherlands in Dhaka.
Heads/Representatives of EU Missions in New Delhi: Didier VANDERHASSELT, Ambassador of Belgium to Bangladesh; Nikolay Yankov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Bangladesh; Marje LUUP, Ambassador of Estonia to Bangladesh; Peggy FRANTZEN, Ambassador of Luxembourg to Bangladesh; Robert Maxian, Ambassador of Slovakia to Bangladesh; Evagoras Vryonides, High Commissioner-designate of Cyprus to Bangladesh; Gabor Szucs, first secretary, Dhaka Office of the Hungarian Embassy in New Delhi; Jaroslaw Jerzy Groberek, Counsellor, Poland Embassy in New Delhi; Sofia Batalha, Deputy Head of Mission, Portugal Embassy in New Delhi; Irma Sinkovec, first secretary, Embassy of Slovenia in New Delhi; and Ruxandra CIOCANELEA, second secretary, Embassy of Romania in New Delhi.
