Immense opportunities for Bangladesh unveiled in Andalusia

Immense opportunities for Bangladesh unveiled in Andalusia, the Spanish province of glorious Islamic heritage.

Bangladesh's Ambassador to Spain Mohammad Sarwar Mahmood, ndc joined a series of meetings in Seville, the capital city of the Spanish province of Andalusia renowned for its rich and glorious Islamic heritage, the historic city of Granada, trans-European commercial hub Malaga and in the tourists' destination Marbella with a view to advancing economic and public diplomacy, cultural relations, academic collaboration and facilitating consular and welfare services for the expatriate Bangladeshis living in the province.

Counsellor (Commercial) Redwan Ahmed and Counsellor (Political) Imadul Hoque of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Madrid accompanied the Ambassador during these meetings.

In the meeting with the President of the Seville Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services Francisco León and other officials held on 19 June 2023, the Ambassador briefed the Chamber about the spectacular developments achieved in Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and called upon the Andalusian business community to take advantage of the vast business and investment opportunities in Bangladesh, particularly in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs), Specialized Economic Zones (SEZs) and High-Tech Parks.

The Embassy, in partnership with the Seville Chambe, will undertake elaborate “Bangladesh Branding” programmes in the future to enhance bilateral trade and investment in some specific sectors.

Later, the Ambassador held meetings with the General Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Regional Government of Andalusia and influential politician Enrique Rocher, the Director General of Andalusia Global Francisco Navarro and other officials of the Ministry of Presidency, Public Administration and Home Affairs of Andalusia. The two sides reiterated their pledge to work closely to consolidate bilateral relations.

On 20 June 2023, the Ambassador held a meeting with Jose Ignacio Bidon, the Honourary Consul General of the Philippines and proprietor of the Bidon Abogados, a reputed law firm specialized in providing legal counsel on commercial, labour and immigration issues.

The Bidon Abogados offered to provide legal assistance to expatriate Bangladeshis for free or at a nominal cost. Later, the Ambassador held a meeting with Professor Francisco Oliva Blazquez, the Vice Chancellor of the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville.

During the meeting, the Ambassador gave a visual presentation entitled “Bangabandhu's Bangladesh in Seville” on the political legacy of the Father of the Nation, the birth of Bangladesh, ongoing development projects and sensitized the University on the gravity of the Rohingya issue.

Vice Chancellor Blazquez proposed to ink an MoU with Bangladesh to facilitate academic exchange programmes.

The Ambassador also held a diaspora engagement meeting with the expatriate Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in Seville and had dinner with them.

On 22 June 2023, the Ambassador held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Granada Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services Isabel Contreras and the Director for External Affairs Luis Nebot.

The Ambassador presented a detailed visual account of the untapped business and investment potentials and the lucrative incentives for foreign investments in various thematic sectors in Bangladesh.

The two sides agreed to soon undertake joint initiatives in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to connect and engage the thriving service sectors of Granada and Bangladesh, particularly the ICT professionals and freelancers.

On 23 June 2023, the Ambassador held a meeting with Francisco de la Torre, the Mayor of the touristic city and international trade hub Malaga.

They discussed the enhancement of bilateral political, economic and cultural relations. On the same day, the Ambassador also held a meeting with Felix Romero Moreno, the Deputy Mayor of Marbella, another city excelled in tourism.

The two sides converged on the need to share experience on the state-of-the-art tourism promotion activities and best practices.

Later, in the afternoon, the Ambassador exchanged opinions with several expatriate Bangladeshi entrepreneurs of Marbella and had dinner with them.