Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Nigeria, Masudur Rahman, has expressed his country’s readiness to deepen bilateral relations with Nigeria.

Speaking at an event organised to mark the Bangladeshi National Day and the country’s 53rd Independence anniversary on Sunday in Abuja, Mr Rahman extolled the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

According to him, the celebration also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

“The two countries collaborate deeply in the UN under the aegis of the UN bodies and international organisations, often sharing identical positions while strongly supporting each other.

“We deeply acknowledge with gratitude the much-needed support Bangladesh received from Nigeria in being elected member of the UN HRC, IMO, and in the post of managing director to the Common Fund for Commodities.

“Bangladesh and Nigeria have long-standing close cooperation in the D8, the NAM, the Commonwealth, the OIC and other South-South and Triangular cooperation. Over the years, Bangladesh and Nigeria had deepened their cooperation in defence training, educational exchanges and people to people exchanges.

“Our shared history, identical demographic dividend and synergic diaspora would do much better, as our proactive diplomacy resonates with the four pillars of foreign policy of Nigeria: Democracy, Diplomacy, Demography and Diaspora,” Mr Rahman said.

The envoy said President Bola Tinubu’s message to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister on her election victory served as a further demonstration of a renewed commitment to forging new areas of advancing cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, represented by Ambassador Misitura Abdulraheem, the Director of Asia Pacific, diplomatic relations between both countries said Nigeria was ready to deepen cooperation with Bangladesh.

Mr Tuggar said Nigeria and Bangladesh had established bilateral consultation mechanisms between the countries’ foreign ministries since 2021.

According to him, both countries have been making concerted efforts to grow trade and economic relations since then.

He said Nigeria aspires to cooperate with Bangladesh in the area of textile development, cultural exchanges, and sustain military relations.

“These exchange programmes have been extended to the Foreign Service capacity building; currently two Nigerian Foreign Service officers are in Bangladesh for a one-year training programme, we hope to receive Bangladeshi course participants in future.

“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with Bangladesh and is committed to the strengthening of cooperation in the areas of trade, ICT and investment, agriculture, education, blue economy and culture.

“From the point of view of our foreign policy, it has been our strategy to promote partnership with friendly countries to advance the economic and social agenda of the government.

“By attracting foreign direct investments, skill and technology for wealth and job creation, food security, poverty eradication and economic growth, using the 4Ds-Diplomacy Initiative as a tool to achieve this end.

“There is no doubt Nigeria and Bangladesh will continue to build on the successes recorded, while we forge new areas of cooperation in boosting trade and entrepreneur partnership between the two countries,” he said.

(NAN)