Bangladesh seeks enhanced trade ties with Sri Lanka

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Riaz Hamidullah met Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Tuesday and hoped Dhaka-Colombo relations would be further improved in the coming years, particularly in areas such as trade, agriculture and fisheries.

High Commissioner Hamidullah, who served in Sri Lanka for nearly four years, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Prime Minister for all the support extended to him during his tenure.

The High Commissioner, on behalf of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, extended an invitation for Prime Minister Rajapaksa to visit Bangladesh at a convenient date in the future, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the farewell call on, he noted that during Prime Minister Rajapaksa’s time as President, Sri Lanka-Bangladesh relations had been at an “exceptional level", reports UNB.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa thanked the High Commissioner for his work in Sri Lanka and also asked him to convey his gratitude to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina for her recent phone call to wish Prime Minister Rajapaksa as he marked 50 years in politics.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa also commended the Mother Language Day programme jointly organised by the High Commission of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education earlier this year and requested the High Commissioner to urge his successor to continue that work.