philippine ambassador to dhaka CALLS ON bangladesh prime minister, receives support for

rp bid for observer status in oic

14 June 2006 – Philippine Ambassador to Dhaka Norberto R. Basilio reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Bangladesh supports the Philippine bid for observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

In his report to the Department on the results of his call on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia on 12 June 2006, Independence Day, Ambassador Basilio said “the Prime Minister gave assurances of her government’s all-out support for the Philippine bid for observer status.” 

The Ambassador thanked Prime Minister Zia for her Government’s support for the Philippines in international fora such as the OIC and the UN.

During the call, Prime Minister Zia conveyed to Ambassador Basilio her felicitations to the Philippines on the commemoration of the 108^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, and sent her greetings to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Prime Minister Zia reaffirmed the warm and friendly ties between Bangladesh and the Philippines, and also encouraged mutual trade,”  Ambassador Basilio noted.

The Ambassador and the Prime Minister reaffirmed the warm and friendly ties between the two countries.  Ambassador Basilio proposed that there should be visits of high-level officials to each others’ capitals noting that the Joint Committee on Trade (JCT) should consider holding the next meeting in Dkaha as a follow up to the last two meetings both held in Manila in 1989 and 1997.   Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials informed Ambassador Basilio that the proposal to hold the next  JCT meeting was already communicated to the Ministry of Commerce.

The Ambassador further reported that the Prime Minister encouraged mutual trade as she enumerated products that Bangladesh could import from the Philippines and those that could be exported at competitive prices such as jute, melamine and pharmaceuticals.

Prime Minister Zia mentioned that she remembered seeing many Filipino nurses at the King Faisal Hospital in Saudi Arabia when she visited there, and said that she wanted Bangladeshi workers trained in many useful skills like the Filipinos.  Ambassador Basilio then invited Bangladeshi students to study in the Philippines.  The Prime Minister then replied with an invitation for Filipino nursing trainers or teachers to teach at Bangladeshi nursing institutes.

Towards the end of the Ambassador’s call, Prime Minister Zia reiterated her greetings to President Arroyo and invited the President to visit Bangladesh.  END

/epa