Bangladesh, EU partnership evolving rapidly: Ambassador Whiteley

Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Ambassador Charles Whiteley has said the relationship between Bangladesh and the EU is evolving rapidly.

Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Ambassador Charles Whiteley has said the relationship between Bangladesh and the EU is evolving rapidly.

"Now we see a partnership that is not only rooted in development issues but one that also acts on the major issues of our time - from climate change to maritime security, poverty reduction to education and migration," he said.

The Ambassador was speaking at the Europe Day reception in a Dhaka hotel on Thursday evening.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni joined the celebrations as the chief guest and highlighted the various aspects of the relations.

On occasion of the Europe Day, European head of states in Bangladesh also spoke to the media, touching issues like Global Gateway, steadfast support for Rohingyas, commitment to green transition and commended the trajectory of Bangladesh-EU relations.

The EU ambassador said the partnership was largely characterised by a development paradigm.

He had the privilege of witnessing last October the signing of the Global Gateway partnership on renewable energy by President Von der Leyen and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Brussels.

"It struck me during the ceremony that such a signature would have been inconceivable during my first posting in Dhaka in 2005," said Ambassador Whiteley.

He said they gathered to celebrate not only Europe Day - the togetherness of 27 nations - but also the increasingly rich tapestry of EU-Bangladesh ties.

"As the well-known Bangladesh proverb says: "Baro Mashe Tero Parbon" or "Thirteen festivals in twelve months". That saying captures the cultural richness and diversity of this country - but could just as well stand as a signifier for the many developments to celebrate in the relationship between the EU and Bangladesh," he mentioned.

The envoy talked about the capacity to make common cause together across many policy areas that will be cemented in the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which the respective leaders also launched last October.

"The EU is nothing if it is not a peace project. Both the EU and Bangladesh emerged from the ashes of war and built societies founded on democratic values and the rule of law," Whiteley said.

As they approach the 70th anniversary of the EU in 2027, he said, it is more important than ever that those values are preserved.

In a world beset by multiple conflicts and aggression - including in the neighbourhoods of both the EU and Bangladesh, as well as the escalating horrors in the Middle East – striving for peace and stability is an absolute imperative, said the envoy.

"As one of the founding fathers of the EU, Robert Schuman, stated at the outset of his famous declaration in 1950: "World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it."

He said their democracies are also being challenged in the digital space.

The toxic underbelly of the internet - where truth is a relative concept and conspiracy theories thrive - is an ever-present threat to their societies, he observed.

The European Parliament elections next month - one of the largest democratic exercises in the world - will be a litmus test of their ability to resist extremism and hostile foreign forces who seek to spread disinformation amongst the electorate, Whiteley said.

On a more positive note, he said, it is the human wealth and creativity of their respective societies that is propelling the expansion in people-to-people ties between the EU and Bangladesh.

"Whether that be by augmenting educational and work opportunities - including through the new Talent Partnership and Erasmus Mundus scholarships. Whether that be through fostering business connections, including through the European Chamber of Commerce or the state-of-the art trade fairs that Bangladesh is now taking to Europe. Or whether that be through efforts to boost two-way tourism - which will undoubtedly grow as Bangladesh's infrastructure develops apace," said the EU envoy.

"It is by building such people-to-people ties that we foster understanding and mutual appreciation," he said.

He hopes and trusts that their commemoration of Europe Day today will prove a worthy festival to celebrate their EU family and the rich ties that bind the EU and Bangladesh together.

For Whiteley, it was the last Europe Day celebrations as EU Ambassador in Dhaka as he prepares to leave Dhaka soon for taking up his new assignment wrapping up his "very successful" tenure in Dhaka.