Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged Vietnam to simplify its visa application process for Bangladeshi businesspeople, workers, students and tourists.
The president made the remarks on September 17 when Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Nguyen Manh Cuong paid a farewell call on him at Bangabhaban.
The president said that Bangladesh and Vietnam have maintained friendly relations for more than five decades and stressed the need to increase people-to-people contact and expand areas of cooperation to further strengthen bilateral relations and make use of development opportunities.
The Vietnamese ambassador also emphasized the importance of establishing direct air connectivity between the two countries, implementing a preferential trade agreement and exchanging high-level visits.
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recalled his visit to Vietnam in 2003 as part of the delegation accompanying then-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
He said opportunities should be created to increase Bangladesh’s exports in order to make bilateral trade more balanced and mutually beneficial.
The president also urged Vietnam to increase imports of various Bangladeshi products, including pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods, ceramics, bicycles, jute and jute products.
The president thanked the outgoing Vietnamese ambassador for his successful tenure and contributions to strengthening Bangladesh-Vietnam relations.
He also expressed hope that the ambassador would continue to contribute to strengthening friendship and cooperation between the two countries after returning to Vietnam.
Senior officials from the President’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy attended the meeting.
Ref: Bangladesh Media.
