Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon the British government to lift an existing ban on Dhaka-London direct cargo flights as British PM’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh Rushanara Ali called on Sheikh Hasina at her residence Ganabhaban. In response to the call, Rushanara Ali told the prime minister that she would discuss the issue on lifting ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka to London with the UK government, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.
On March 8, this year, the UK banned air cargo directly from Dhaka until further notice citing ‘security concerns’. The press secretary said the prime minister and the UK House of Commons member also discussed matters relating to boosting of economic co-operation between the two countries.
Sheikh Hasina expressed satisfaction over the signing of a memorandum understanding (MoU) between a British firm and Bangladesh Railway for construction of a railway track in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Railway and British company DP Rail Ltd yesterday signed the MoU for setting up a 240-km rail line between Dhaka and Payra seaport in Patuakhali’s Kuakata.
Railway officials said according to their initial estimate the railway lines could cost an amount of 600bn taka, which would be provided by the British company but the actual cost of the mega project would be determined after a feasibility study. In this connection, Sheikh Hasina sought more UK investment in different potential sectors in Bangladesh. While talking about election of three Bangladeshi-origin MPs in the British House of Commons, the prime minister said: “She is proud to see three Bangladeshi daughters in UK parliament.”
Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, granddaughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a niece of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Rushnara Ali, who hails from Biswanath in Sylhet, and Dr Rupa Huq, who hails from Pabna, were elected MPs from Labour Party in the May 7, 2015 UK general elections.
PM Hasina’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum and British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali called UK for lifting the temporary ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka to London. During a meeting with the visiting UK Trade Envoy Rushanara Ali at his office, Mahmood Ali also expected her strong pursuance to this end.
Regarding trade, Mahmood Ali hoped that Bangladesh would continue to enjoy the same or better facilities for duty free-quota free (DFQF) market access to the UK market for ‘Everything but Arms’ product and services even after Brexit comes into force. The Bangladesh foreign minister congratulated Rushanara Ali on her being appointed as the British PM’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina
