Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to Bangladesh Nardia Simpson reiterated Australia’s continued support for a democratic and inclusive future for all Bangladeshis. Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He made this comment during his first meeting with Touhid Hossain.
Welcoming the Acting High Commissioner, the Foreign Adviser noted the mutual commitment between Bangladesh and Australia towards democracy, human rights, peace and prosperity. He reiterated the government’s commitment to carry out necessary reforms in various institutions in the light of the spirit of the popular uprising led by the students of Bangladesh in July-August 2024 to bring qualitative changes in the governance system.
The High Commissioner deplored the loss of life and property during the recent unrest. He acknowledged the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other related organizations in ensuring the security of foreign missions in Dhaka. He highlighted the importance of the relationship between the two countries and mentioned the last bilateral visit of Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong to Bangladesh in May 2024.
The Foreign Adviser emphasized on enhancing existing cooperation in political engagement, trade, investment, human resource development and people-to-people contacts.
Citing the possibility of more international students from Bangladesh due to the increase in income, he suggested simplifying the student visa process. He said that Bangladesh does not support illegal immigration in any way and is ready to cooperate to bring back their illegal immigrants to Australia through the established process.
The Adviser thanked Australia for its continued assistance to the Rohingya population taking refuge in Bangladesh and highlighted the security concerns posed by the crisis in the region.
The foreign affairs adviser also stressed the need for more international pressure on Myanmar towards the repatriation process, which is the ultimate solution to the protracted crisis.