In Lisbon yesterday, the “Diplomatic Institute of Portugal” and “Macau Scientific and Cultural Center” jointly organized a seminar on the theme of “Exploring deeper Portugal-Bangladesh Relationship”, with an excellent line-up of speakers: Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs & Cooperation of Portugal Francisco André; Bangladesh Ambassador in Lisbon Tarik Ahsan and Professor José Mapril. Apart from the above-mentioned panelists, the seminar also brought together academics, practitioners, some Ambassadors/diplomats based in Lisbon, interns and students as participant who discussed opportunities for deepening the existing relationship between Bangladesh and Portugal. 

 

 

After opening remarks by the President of Macao Centre Prof. Carmen Amado Mendes, a documentary containing recorded video messages from world leaders on the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence was screened. 

 

 

Presenting a paper on the seminar’s theme, Bangladesh State Minister highlighted the historic contact between the Bangalees and Portuguese that forms the basis of friendly relation between the two countries. He identified bilateral trade, connectivity, blue economy, climate action, knowledge partnership, migration & mobility and people-to-people contact as priority areas, where the two countries can cooperate meaningfully. The State Minister looked forward to such a productive partnership in the coming days and remarked, “It is indeed time for us to open our bilateral ties from the legacies of the past and take it forward in the future direction of shared prosperity”.

 

 

Addressing the seminar, the Secretary of State of Portugal underlined the historic relation between the two peoples that has been re-energized by the presence of the vibrant Bangladeshi community integrated in Portugal. He also identified various avenues of cooperation at bilateral and global levels, and called for concrete actions to materialize them. He acknowledged Bangladesh’s rise in his words: “The journey started 500 years ago and, today, Bangladesh plays an important role in the global network of partnerships in a region of the world that is at the centre of the international agenda and post/pandemic recovery”. 

 

 

Bangladesh Ambassador in Lisbon focused on the present realities and future aspirations of the Bangladesh-Portugal relationship in his deliberation. He stressed the need of continued exchange of high-level visits, like the one by Bangladesh State Minister’s present visit, to sustain and further elevate the existing bilateral relations. He briefed the audience on the ongoing initiatives of Bangladesh Embassy and the future plans for the upliftment of the relations between the two countries. Putting the Bangladeshi migrants at the center of the Bangladesh-Portugal relations, he said, “We look forward to a future when Bangladeshi migrants in Portugal will be empowered enough to play a pivotal role in deepening Bangladesh Portugal relations”. 

 

 

Speaking at the end, Professor José Mapril identified heritage and mobility as the connecting factors between Bangladesh and Portugal. He credited the Bangladeshi migrants as the emissary of Bangladesh in Portugal and expressed confidence in their future role in enhancing the ties between the two countries. 

 

 

The State Minister also participated in an interactive question-and-answer session at the close of the panel discussions. The event was rounded off with refreshment of Bangladeshi snacks.