Bangladesh-Britain to intensify cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and his British counterpart Philip Hammond expressed their willingness to this end during a meeting on the sidelines of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers' meeting in Malta on Wednesday.

The two foreign minister discussed issues relating to international peace and global security challenges during the meeting, a foreign ministry press release said here this morning.

Expressing concern at the rise of violent extremism in various parts of the world, the British foreign minister said that all countries had to be vigilant against this common threat as IS and Al-Qaeda were aspiring to operate beyond their traditional grounds.

In this context, the UK Minister appreciated the 'zero tolerance' policy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government against all sorts of terrorism and violent extremism.

The Foreign Minister assured his British counterpart that the overall security situation in Bangladesh was good.

He stated that the some recent incidents were the acts of BNP-Jamaat alliances aimed at destabilizing the country and maligning the growing positive image of the country at a time when Bangladesh was fast progressing under the astute leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Ali informed that on the basis of those apprehended and the intelligence gathered, it was evident that the crimes were committed by local extremists and no external connections could be found.

He reassured that the government had undertaken stringent measures to guarantee safety and security of its people as well as the foreign nationals living in the country.

In this connection, the UK minister offered to extend necessary support to enhance capacities in these areas.

Mahmood Ali invited his UK counterpart to visit Bangladesh at his convenience which he readily accepted.

Earlier Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali took part in the first day of the customary pre-CHOGM Commonwealth Foreign Ministers' meeting.

The ministers deliberated on development issues such as the SDGs and explored ways of implementing SDGs.

They also discussed initiatives undertaken for the LDCs and small states emphasing on the need for capacity building and rules based trade.

The meeting also discussed proposals of creating a 'Commonwealth Advantage' by easing movement of group's citizens across the borders of its member states.

Meanwhile, a five member delegation led by the State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki, MP also attended the three day Commonwealth Women's Forum and showcased Bangladesh's progress and best practices in women empowerment.

In addition, two members of Foreign Minister Ali's delegation-the CEO, Public Private Partnership Authority and Executive Member of the Board of Investment attended the second day's events of the Commonwealth Business Forum where they had trade and investment related meetings with a number of private sector enterprises.