State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP had a meeting with Mr. Diego Martínez Belío, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, in Madrid on 28 October 2026.
At the outset, the State Minister expressed heartfelt condolences over the tragic train accident earlier this morning in Toledo, Spain that caused significant loss of lives, and conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families and those affected by the accident.
The meeting was constructive with discussions focusing on enhancing cooperation and future engagement on areas of mutual interest between the two countries. The discussion highlighted enhancing existing trade and investment opportunities. In this regard, both sides emphasized on exploring new avenues for business-to-business exchanges, export diversification, arrangements of expositions, among others.
The State Minister underscored the potential for greater cooperation in cultural exchanges and emphasized on earlier conclusion of proposed MoU on cultural cooperation. They also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in the field of sports diplomacy, creative economy, arts and tourism. Highlighting the Government’s emphasis on promoting sports nationwide, she added that sports could serve as an effective instrument of people-to-people engagement.
Acknowledging the valuable contributions of the Bangladeshi community in Spain and their role as a bridge between the two countries, the State Minister underscored the importance of legal pathways for skilled migration. In this regard, she encouraged Spain’s participation in the EU Talent Partnerships initiative for Bangladeshi workers. She further reiterated Bangladesh’s zero tolerance policy against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
The Spanish side reaffirmed its support for advancing engagement with Bangladesh across areas of mutual interest. Mr. Belío described the prospects for future engagement as promising and conveyed Spain’s readiness to support these efforts. They agreed to expedite the conclusion of agreed bilateral instruments and other ongoing negotiations for different instruments and expressed eagerness to hold the 2nd Bangladesh-Spain Foreign Office Consultations at the earliest opportunity. Both sides also underscored the importance of regular exchange of high-level engagements to further advance cooperation.