LONDON, Oct. 30 — Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, MP, met with members of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Bangladesh at the Bangladesh High Commission in London to strengthen bilateral relations through parliamentary diplomacy, expanded commercial investment, and enhanced people-to-people links.
The high-level discussions included prominent APPG members Lord Qurban Hussain and Imran Hussain, MP. The meeting centered on aligning diplomatic priorities, leveraging legislative engagement to broaden bilateral economic avenues, and deepening cultural and diaspora connectivity between Dhaka and London.
During the engagement, State Minister Shama Obaed briefed the British lawmakers on Bangladesh’s governance focus areas, emphasizing national initiatives in primary healthcare expansion, public education modernization, social safety nets, and energy sector diversification. She underscored the government’s constitutional commitment to safeguarding equal citizenship rights, institutionalizing religious harmony, and securing sustainable, equitable development across all segments of society.
The visiting UK parliamentarians commended Bangladesh’s democratic transition, expressing support for the country’s progression toward an inclusive, politically stable, and prosperous future.
The humanitarian situation surrounding the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar featured prominently in the dialogue. Both sides underscored the critical need for sustained international financial and political engagement to safeguard humanitarian aid flows while actively pursuing tangible multilateral pathways toward the safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of displaced Rohingya to Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Reaffirming the historic partnership between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom, both delegations pledged to accelerate strategic and parliamentary cooperation on shared regional and international interests.