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BANGLADESH HIGH COMMISSION, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM |
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Assistant High Commission Birmingham
Assistant High Commission Manchester
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Bangladesh and Britain: A partnership growing strength to strength
The bonds
between Bangladesh and the UK are strong, spontaneous, warm and enduring.
These are enriched by historical Commonwealth ties that date back much
beyond Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, shared values and commonality of
interest.
Bangladesh and its people hold Britain and its people in a special sentiment and consider Britain as a dependable friend and partner. During Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, the British Government, politicians, people, and the media demonstrated great empathy for the cause of the struggling people of Bangladesh. Sanctuary was provided to both diplomats and others who sought shelter and protection during those difficult days. Britain was also among the first European nations to accord diplomatic recognition to Bangladesh quite early (on 4 February 1972) following Bangladesh’s birth as a nation in 1971. This decision influenced actions of many Commonwealth and European nations to follow suit. Again, with pro-active British support, Bangladesh became a member of the Commonwealth on 18 April 1972. Britain also consistently supported Bangladesh in many international fora during those early years, including at the United Nations and Commonwealth. Since then friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two Commonwealth countries have continued to grow strength to strength and have assumed new significance with each passing decade. Bangladesh has always attached great importance to its bilateral relations with Britain and Britain has reciprocated the spirit with friendship and support.
Over the
years, bilateral cooperation between the two countries have continued to
grow steadily in depth and dimension in various fields including The two countries continue to closely cooperate in different international forums including at the UN and the Commonwealth and hold almost similar views on international issues of common concern including international peace and security, UN Peacekeeping, as members of UN Human Rights Council, in empowerment of women, environment and climate change, and many more.
Bil Head of Government level visits from Britain have been considered to be most important watersheds in further deepening and widening the multidimensional links between the two countries. The first British high-level visit was paid by Prime Minister James Callaghan in 1978. Prime Minister John Major paid a 3-day official visit to Dhaka from 10-12 January 1997. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visit to Bangladesh in January 2002. Visits by members of the British Royal family were also received with exceptional warmth and affection by the people of Bangladesh. Her Majesty the Queen's visit to Bangladesh in 1983 accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh was a milestone in heightening and deepening the bilateral relations. This was further enriched by the visit of HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales in February 1997. HRH Princess Anne has also visited Bangladesh three times as Patron of the Save the Children Fund, the last of such visits being in November 2000. Apart from the above, regular exchange of visits by cricket teams, cultural delegations, NGOs, and holding of crafts and food festivals have further enriched the people to people contacts between the two countries. Over the last three decades, these visits have been warmly reciprocated by the Bangladesh side at the Head of State, Head of Government, Ministerial, Parliamentarian and public and defence officials levels. Exchange of private sector and civil society delegations between the two countries have also remained frequent and spontaneous. Bilateral trade and investment in mutual benefit: A most important driving force in enhancing the substance in Bangadehs-UK relations is the growing trade and economic relations between the two countires and the two private sectors. UK tops the list of countries investing in Bangladesh with an annual growth rate of ..%. The amount of FDI from UK in 2005-6 was around US$ 150 milliom, 18% of total FDI into Bangladesh. The main areas of UK investment in Bangladesh include ago-based industries such as tobacco processing, tea , reforestation etc, as well as service industries such as leasing companies, computer software, shipping operations, building construction, telecommunication, exploration of natural resources etc. Bilateral Investment Protection treaties and Agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation signed between the two countries are encouraging conintued UK investment in Bangladesh. Major UK companies investing in Bangladesh include BAT, Unilever, Cairn Energy, Mining House ltd, Standard Chartered Bank, Global Coal Management plc etc. UK is again the third largest destination of Bangladeshi products with the USA and Germany being the first and the second respectively. Over the last couple of years, exports from Bangladesh to UK witnessed a spectacular and sustainable growth giving rise to an enviably favourable balance of trade for Bangladesh. The total exports from Bangladesh to UK exceeding US$ 1b last year include readymade garments, home textiles, frozen fish, bicycles, jute goods, ceramic tableware etc. On the other hand, exports from UK to Bangladesh totaling about US$ 300m include capital machinery, chemicals, electronic goods, baby food etc. There have been regular exchanges of visits between private sector entrepreneurs of Britain and Bangladesh many of whom are registered with a London based umbrella Joint Chamber called the British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has been playing a proactive role in brining together private sector entrepreneurs as well as business and political leadership of both countries to promote trade and investment between Bangladesh and UK. Apart from the bilateral Investment and Taxation treaties, an Air Services Agreement have been signed between the two countries under which Biman and British Airways operate.
A
growing partnership in Development: For Bangladesh,
UK through Partnership in Defence and Security: Right from the very inception of Bangladesh defence and secuirty cooperation between Bangladesh and the UK has been warm and intense. The UK's continual support to provide all out assistance in developing and training Bangladesh armed forces is well marked. A good number of Bangladeshi Armed Forces personnel are trained in UK every year in the Sandhurst Rayal Military Academy and at the Royal College of Defence Studies and in the Joint Defence Command Staff Courses. UK has also provided significant military and advisory assistance in setting up the prestigious Defence Services Command and Staff College and the National Defence College (NDC) of Bangladesh. British Military Assistance Team had been in Bangladesh as instructors for many years. The two Navies are also cooperating closely while most of the ships of Bangladesh Navy(BN) have been taken from Royal Navy thereby facilitating BN achieve its blue water capability. Royal Navy has also provided technical advice in setting up important BN infrastructure such as BN Dockyard. The two armed forces have also been working closley in UN Peace-keeping missions and in the global war on terror. UK is providing special training to Bangladesh Armed Forces to enhance its capacity to fight terrorism. Exchange of high profile militray visits have also been a hall mark of defence cooperation between the two countries. It is a tradition for Chiefs of Army or Navy of Bangladesh to pay visits to Royal Militray Insitituions. Similarly the first sea Lord and the Chief of Naval Staff of UK as well as British Chief of General Staff have also visited Bangladesh. Most recently UK Deputy Chief of Defence Staff has visited Bangladesh(Nov 06). This excellent cooperation is expected to grow in the future. Growing Education and Cultural ties: The number of Bangladeshi students seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees in UK Universities and colleges is increasing every year. Having graduated in O and A levels under the University of London and Cambridge Overseas Assessment Bangladeshi students enjoy the advantage of familiarity with British education system and secure admission in top colleges under University for London and other top UK Universities outside London. The various Universities also forward students recruitment teams to Bangladesh to attract potential higher education students and the trend is expected to grow. The Bangladeshi students and UK colleges both receive wholehearted support of the High Commission in London and of British Council in Dhaka in the process. The cultural ties between UK and Bangladesh are gaining considerable momentum as well. The colourful annual Brick Lane festival, the Banglatown International Curry Festival and the Baishakhi Mela at Trafalgar Square and East London celebrating Bangla New Year on 14 April every year are events, among others, that are forging common grounds between Bangladeshi Muslims and the mainstream British society.
The British Bangladeshi Expatriates
in the UK:
A salient feature of the
The matter is being pursued by the Bangladesh High Commission in London with British Immigration authorities in coordination with the umbrella caterer bodies including the Bangladesh Caterer’s Association. The Consular Wing of the High Commission is also dedicated in providing welfare, visa exemption and passport services to a large number of British Bangladeshis every week(1500 exemptions and 900 passports on an average per week). Surgeries are conducted in 7 to 8 places outside London to reach out to the community and provide consular facilities including in Ireland, Bristol, Cardiff, Luton and Portsmouth. Also with a view to promoting a healthy tourist and business travel to Bangladesh an average of 500 visas are issued to British nationals each month.
The Partnership continues: The traditionally friendly relations between Bangladesh and the UK are gaining strength and dynamism with each passing year. Alongside the enterprising peoples of the two countries, the Bangladesh High Commission in London plays a pivotal role in adding speed and substance to these strategically important relations. The High Commission takes a proactive role in promoting Bangladesh’s national interest as well as that of the British Bangladeshi community with UK’s Government institutions, politicians, think tanks, private sector, media and the society at large. As the relations continue to grow more and more multifaceted and diverse, the High Commission remains firmly committed to redouble its efforts to facilitate the same to the mutual benefit of the peoples and governments of Bangladesh and Britain.
Saida Muna Tasneem, Counsellor, Bangladesh High Commission, London
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political, economic, trade and investment, development cooperation,
education and culture, defence, security and counter-terrorism. Britain is
the single largest foreign investor in Bangladesh
and the third largest destination for Bangladesh exports. Britain is also
Bangladesh’s largest bilateral development partner. The significant
presence of a vibrant British-Bangladeshi community in the UK, nearly half
a million, has also been an important binding factor between the two
Commonwealth nations. Britain
today is the most desired destination for Bangladeshi students seeking
higher education at graduate levels.
was
hailed by all for its exemplary development performance in Asia in
response to development support from DfID and other partners, and is likely to see a
doubling of DfID aid in the coming years. The DFID programs in Bangladesh
focus on few main areas including poverty alleviation, reducing
vulnerability to disasters and
climate change, support to private sector and economic infrastructure
building, Enterprise Growth and Bank Modernization, Support to Rural
Electrification and Roads and Highways,
Remittances & Payments facilitation, Public sector capacity building in
governance including support to Government’s Anti-Corruption programmes
and Police Reforms, Primary Education including non-formal education,
Health, Nutrition, Population, Sanitation and safe drinking water
projects. 
the
restaurant or Catering business and is contributing substantially to the
British economy as well as to the Bangladesh economy trough remittances
sent back to Bangladesh. Bangladeshi food is highly popular with Britons,
thanks to some 12,000 restaurants owned and operated by
British-Bangladeshis in Britain. Today, these restaurants employ about
85,000 people and have an annual turnover of nearly £ 4 billion and
support a forward and backward linkage industry of another £1 billion. The
gastronomic traffic is not, however, a one-way matter. Innovations by
British Bangladeshi chefs combining tastes from both countries are
journeying back into kitchens in Bangladesh. The British-Bangladesh Food
Fusion Festival held each year in Dh
aka
since 2000 has been a successful event that showcased this combination of
tastes. The Catering Industry however, is of late faced with a shortage of
low-skilled kitchen workers for which this popular business continue to
suffer and threatens their share of revenue flows to the economy. 
