Bangladesh seeks Argentina’s support for UNGA presidency bid

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman today (4 March) sought Argentina's valued support for Bangladesh's candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during a meeting with Argentine Ambassador Marcelo Carlos Cesa.

The appeal was made when Argentina ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcelo Carlos Cesa, paid a maiden courtesy call on the foreign minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, said a ministry's press release.

At the outset, the ambassador congratulated Rahman on assuming office and conveyed the good wishes of the Argentine government to the newly elected administration led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, expressing hope that bilateral ties would grow stronger under the new leadership.

The foreign minister reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to deepening longstanding friendly relations with Argentina and emphasised the importance of expanding cooperation in multiple sectors.

During the meeting, the two sides identified several priority areas for collaboration, including expanding bilateral trade, diversifying exports and imports, strengthening technical cooperation in agriculture, and promoting sports cooperation, particularly through effective implementation of the existing MoU on football.

They also discussed opportunities for cooperation in energy trade, supply chain partnerships and enhanced apparel exports from Bangladesh.

Rahman proposed initiating a multi-sectoral dialogue among relevant stakeholders with a focused agenda to further advance bilateral cooperation.

The foreign minister also appreciated the reopening of the Argentine Embassy in Dhaka and Argentina's concurrence to reopen the Embassy of Bangladesh in Buenos Aires, expressing Dhaka's commitment to operationalising its resident mission there at the earliest opportunity.

Earlier, the Argentine ambassador paid a courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam.

During the meeting, the state minister highlighted the strong people-to-people connection between Bangladesh and Argentina, particularly through football, and proposed structured cooperation in youth and women's football development.

She also underscored the importance of establishing a Bangladesh–Argentina Chamber of Commerce to strengthen business networking and promote private-sector engagement.

The state minister suggested expanding imports from Bangladesh, including pharmaceuticals, ceramics, jute products and ready-made garments.