Chief Adviser Yunus holds meeting with 28 EU diplomats

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today (9 December) held a meeting with the diplomats from all 27 European Union (EU) member states, including those stationed in Dhaka and New Delhi. 

The delegation was led by Michael Miller, the EU Ambassador to Bangladesh and head of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh.

The meeting started at noon at the Chief Advisor's Office in Dhaka's Tejgaon. 

The chief adviser is likely to call for increased investment to resolve Bangladesh's ongoing crises during the meeting.

Earlier on 5 December, Rafiqul Alam, director general of the Public Diplomacy Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a weekly briefing that the upcoming dialogue will aim to chart the course for continued trade and economic collaboration as Bangladesh transitions out of the LDC category.

"This will be a unique opportunity to discuss a broad range of issues, including enhanced cooperation in economic sectors, the Rohingya crisis, post-LDC Generalized Scheme of Preferences plus (GSP+) facilities, and a potential Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Bangladesh," he said at the briefing. 

The EU trade relationship with Bangladesh has been anchored in the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative, granting duty-free, quota-free market access to the least developed countries (LDCs) since 2001. 

This is the first time that ambassadors from all 27 EU countries will convene for a joint meeting with the Bangladeshi government, signalling their collective commitment to deepening ties, foreign ministry sources said.

Currently, ambassadors of seven EU states are based in Dhaka, while the remaining 20 operate from New Delhi.

The meeting is seen as a strong signal of EU support for Bangladesh and an effort to foster high-level cooperation across a range of strategic areas.