DHAKA: First resident Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Republic of Austria Mohammed Abu Zafar presented his credentials to the Federal President of Austria Dr Heinz Fischer.
They met at impressive ceremony at grand Maria Theresia Hall of historical Hofburg Palace in Vienna on Thursday.
Fischer expressed great happiness at the existing bilateral relations between Austria and Bangladesh as well as at Bangladesh’s opening its resident Mission in Vienna.
He assured the Bangladesh Envoy of his full cooperation and again wished his a very successful and productive tenure in Austria.
While presenting credentials, Ambassador Zafar extended to the Austrian President warmest greetings and best wishes from President of Bangladesh.
Ambassador Zafar was accompanied by First Secretary Shabab Bin Ahmed who was also present in the meeting with the President.
President Dr Fischer opened the conversation by again warmly welcoming and congratulating the first resident of Ambassador of Bangladesh.
He then asked the Ambassador to convey his warmest greetings to Bangladeshi president.
Thereafter, Dr Fischer referred to the existing bilateral trade between Austria and Bangladesh while mentioning that Bangladesh economy has been performing excellent despite the world is still reeling with the recession and also praised for Bangladesh socio-economic development in recent years.
He stressed on the bilateral trade imbalance, which is in favor of Bangladesh and expressed his views that both the countries needed to work for further bolstering trade between the two countries.
The President was also enquired about the inhabitants of Dhaka city while conveying that how they have maintained status quo in terms of the population of Vienna for the last hundred years since 1914.
The newly appointed Ambassador firstly referred to the support extended by political leaders and people of Austria during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971, and informed that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman regarded formerly Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky as a great friend of Bangladesh, who was honoured with Friends of Liberation War Honor Award in 2012.
He also recollected with thankfulness that Austria was one of the first European countries to recognize Bangladesh on February 4, 1972. Then Ambassador Zafar highlighted Bangladesh’s achievements in the areas like food production, reduction of poverty and women empowerment as well as the vision 2021 unveiled by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in the beginning of her second term of the Government.
He also expressed his optimism for the further growth of bilateral trade and more engagement in the cultural field between Bangladesh and Austria.
Emphasizing Bangladesh as huge market of 160 million population with a big middle class having good disposable income, Austria could consider investing in Bangladesh in the sectors like renewable energy, physical infrastructure, agro-based industry etc for which they are competitive.
Ambassador Zafar on behalf of the Bangladeshi President invited him to pay a visit to Bangladesh. The President immediately replied that he would consider it positively mentioning that there has been no such visit from Austria to Bangladesh yet.
The Ambassador also thanked the President and the Government of Austria for arranging presentation of his credentials within almost a week after his arrival in Vienna and assured that he would strive for further strengthening and widening the close and friendly relations between Bangladesh and Austria.
President Dr. Heinz Fischer assured the Bangladesh Envoy of his full cooperation and again wished his a very successful tenure in Austria.
BDST: 1955 HRS, DEC 11, 2014
