British parliamentarians have appreciated foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali for his post-election briefings and expressed keen interest in working closely with the government on issues of mutual interest.
They also backed the government on the ongoing war crimes trials, but were worried about death penalty, which the UK does not approve of in any part of the world.
The foreign minister was attending a dinner meeting with some leading members of both houses of British parliament, including members of the London-based All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, on Thursday.
Lord Sheikh, Baroness Pola Uddin, Baroness Usha Prashar, Jim Fitzpatrick, Keith, Simon Danczuk, and Stephen Timms were among those present.
After assuming office, Ali has changed the briefing format for Dhaka diplomats. He briefed them in phases on the post-election situation.
On Thursday, he updated them on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s foreign policy priorities in her new term, which include the deepening of political, economic and trade relations with the UK and EU countries.
He also briefed them on the Prime Minister’s recent visits to Japan and China.
The foreign ministry said he spoke to them about the broadening of economic and investment cooperation with these two Asian powers for the funding of mega projects in Bangladesh to the tune of $ 10 billion, particularly in the infrastructure and power sectors.
Referring to the Jan 16 European Parliament resolution on Bangladesh, he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stands by her open invitation for dialogue with the BNP, provided the latter dissociates itself from the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The EU in its resolution had urged the BNP to distance itself from the Jamaat.
The British parliamentarians said they would work closely in common cultural links between the Bangladesh and Britain, Bangladesh-UK trade and economic cooperation, Bangladesh’s political and economic relations with its neighbours.
The foreign minister is in London to attend the ‘Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict’ being held from Jun 11 to Jun 13.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Actress Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, invited him to attend the summit, months after Bangladesh endorsed the ‘Global Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict’ in April.
The British state minister for foreign affairs, Sayeeda Warsi, in a separate meeting with the foreign minister, thanked the Hasina-led government for endorsing the declaration.
She also thanked her for her “strong commitment to the issue of preventing sexual violence during conflict both as an affected country and as a major peacekeeping country”.
They discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral interest including the government’s post-election priorities, the results of the recent upazilla elections in Bangladesh, and political and economic relations with the UK, according to the foreign ministry.
Source: Bd news24