Romania seeks stronger ties with Bangladesh, eyes energy sector: Ambassador Sena Latif

Highlighting the potential of deepening relations with Bangladesh in a number of areas, Romanian Ambassador to Bangladesh Sena Latif has said energy is one of the sectors that they would like to focus on more, given the potential in both countries.

"We have had in the past years a very good increase in bilateral trade relations, but there is always much more to do. We think energy would be one of the sectors we would like to focus more on," Ambassador Sena told UNB in an interview, sharing the potential in the areas of hydro, wind and solar energy.

Sena Latif, who started her mandate as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to India in November 2024, submitted her credentials to President Mohammed Shahabuddin and had a courtesy meeting with Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam yesterday (29 July).

The ambassador said they are looking to deepen ties in the areas of IT, communication, garments and petrochemicals. "So, we are very happy that this cooperation is really something tangible that we felt here."

She said Romania is "very strategically located" at the crossroads of many regions, and entering Romania means entering the European market (the EU is the largest trade partner for Bangladesh).

"So, we have calculated that if a Bangladeshi company or Asian companies want to send their products to Europe, if they use the Port of Constanta, they would save six days rather than sending through Rotterdam or other Western ports. So this is something I think we can tap more into," Ambassador Sena said.

Talking about the credentials submission ceremony, she said she is very grateful for the way she was received at the Presidential ceremony. "It was a very impressive ceremony that actually shows the importance that is given and the openness of Bangladesh to the world."

The ambassador said it is an important time in Bangladesh's history as the country is set to graduate from the LDC status in 2026, but also considering everything that is happening in the world – the very "unpredictable and still challenging times" they face.

"And I think it's the time where now we and our partnership with Romania and Bangladesh and the European Union can show what we can do through our commitment in multilateral forums and our bilateral relations with transparency and mutual respect," she said.

Responding to a question, the Romanian ambassador said, "We are in a very good phase of our partnership. I was very happy that the President of Bangladesh actually mentioned that Romania was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of Bangladesh right after the proclamation."

"So, that laid the foundation for a solid, enduring partnership we have developed over the years – very good relations in trade and now, more recently, also in people-to-people relations," she said.

Ambassador Sena said that they are very happy to see a growing diaspora and a growing community from Bangladesh – not just manpower, a lot of Bangladeshi citizens going to work, more for construction, hospitality, IT, and agriculture, but also students.

"So, one of our priorities in the embassy is to facilitate the process for visas easily and the consular aspects they need, but at the same time to also deepen our relations, especially in trade," she said.

Responding to a question on bilateral trade volume, the ambassador said they are trying to get back to better numbers that they had and also that they proved in the past they can achieve, as the year before was, which was a good year.

"We hope to get back there if we manage to have more contacts between our chambers of commerce. This is our first objective – to have meetings and economic missions, so to organise economic business delegations from Romania to Bangladesh," she added.

Bangladesh encouraged Romania for the resumption of labour recruitment from Bangladesh, stressing the need to find ways to deepen the engagement in potential areas.

Bangladesh also suggested academic collaboration through joint scholarships, recognition of degrees, and academic exchanges between universities of the two countries.

Asked about the opportunity to recruit qualified manpower from Bangladesh, the ambassador said this is still a very dynamic and new phenomenon.

"So, it's still very evolving. I think now IT, construction and hospitality are the areas of most need. We're trying to look also maybe in pharma and medical jobs. So, we can also see where the need is," she said, adding that Romanian businesses are very appreciative of Bangladeshis.

Appreciating the role of Honorary Consul of Romania in Dhaka Enayetullah Khan, Ambassador Sena said that Khan remains very actively involved for decades and they are very grateful for his activity promoting bilateral relations.

"Also, we've got to learn a lot about the media and the arts and culture in Bangladesh. So, we'd like to also deepen our cooperation in that area, given the more people-to-people contacts that have been happening between our countries," she said.

Talking about Bangladeshi students in Romania, the ambassador said more and more are interested in studying in Romania. "So, we're trying to find ways to have better communication, make the offers more easily presented to them."

The ambassador said Romania is a candidate for accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where the most developed countries are member states and they are still in the process themselves of adopting some reforms that are still necessary.

"So, I think in that sense, we can also be helpful in exchanges and good lessons learned and behaviour that we have had to reform."

During her interactions in Dhaka, both sides expressed satisfaction with the existing bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation.

Bangladesh proposed collaboration in trade, investment, labour mobility, education and consular services and highlighted opportunities for trade diversification and investment in sectors such as ICT, renewable energy, and agro-processing.