Netizens uniting nations and the possibilities
The reopening of Argentina’s diplomatic mission in Dhaka will facilitate the exchange of many things the two countries are good at
It's not unknown that Digital connections have transformed societies. Social media sites have made the world a global village, connecting people worldwide. We can find uncountable incidents where people found their family members lost during war, found old school friends, and people finding jobs beyond borders with the help of social media.
Recently Bangladeshi netizens have set an example of uniting the nations- Argentina and Bangladesh. The crazy football fan base of Bangladesh has prevailed since the time of Maradona and Pele. But this year the love managed to grab global attention via social media when FIFA in its Twitter account posted a video of Argentina fans in Bangladesh celebrating Lionel Messi's goal in the FIFA World Cup victory over Mexico. Even the official Twitter of the Argentina Football team admired stating Bangladeshis are an equally football-crazy nation.
Positivity attracts positivity. The tweet was on air in international media, tv channels, other social media, and of course Argentine local media too. The fandom became viral and resulted in another tweet by the Minister of Foreign Relations of the Argentine Nation - Santiago Cafiero, that very soon Argentina was planning to open its embassy in Bangladesh which has been closed since 1978. The back-to-back events depicted mutual admiration and respect shared between Argentina and Bangladesh and opened the door for enormous prospects.
Sports
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While talking about the prospects of this bilateral reuniting, the first point that comes up is the possibilities of development of the Bangladesh football sector. Argentina-Bangladesh friendship may open doors of collaboration in training the young footballers of Bangladesh. Talent management, technical assistance, training, and expertise exchange initiatives will be easier than before. Bangladeshi football once had glory which is again reviving in recent years. It is not impossible to train the best young footballers through Argentine footballers and experts through their clubs and academies. Not only men's football but greater emphasis on women's football teams must be given to enrich their skills.
Higher education
Argentina has a world-class education system that's focused on technology skills. The government-funded and subsidised education policies make them very affordable for both domestic and international students. That's why more than 50,000 international students choose to study in Argentina each year. As per the reports, there are about 39 public universities that are tuition-free. Some universities have recently started charging minimal fees to international students, but others remain free for Argentineans and foreign citizens.
For the past five years, the average annual growth rate of the software development industry in Bangladesh has been over 40%, and this trend is very likely to continue. The great news is Argentina is emerging as a major outsourcing hub for software development. Coursera's Global Skills Index 2019 ranked Argentina as the Number 1 country in terms of technology skills. On average, nearly 50 to 50 thousand Bangladeshi students go abroad for higher studies each year. Argentina could be a new education destination for students especially who want to major in technical skills.
Business and economy
Argentina has a rich export-centric agriculture sector as agricultural goods comprise over 50% of their foreign exchange. Both countries are already engaged in international business. In 2020, Argentina exported agricultural goods worth $450M to Bangladesh. The main products are Soybean Oil ($292M), Wheat ($118M), and Soybean Meal ($20.8M). During the last 25 years, the exports of Argentina to Bangladesh have increased at an annualised rate of 6.27%, from $98.4M in 1995 to $450M in 2020.
In 2020, Bangladesh exported $17.3M to Argentina. The main products exported to Argentina were Knit Sweaters ($3.75M), Knit T-shirts ($2.53M), and Non-Knit Men's Suits ($1.62M). During the last 25 years, the exports of Bangladesh to Argentina have increased at an annualised rate of 6.46%, from $3.61M in 1995 to $17.3M in 2020. In 2020.
The embassy's economic wing will have a great contribution to importing Bangladeshi ships, pharmaceuticals, more ready-made garments, melamine, and ceramics. These items have been identified as products with huge potential in the Argentinian market.
Argentina is the second-largest economy in South America with a wide spectrum of business activities. There's a sea of opportunities for foreign investors looking to expand their business. There are few treaties to create a common regional market with neighbouring countries. The reopening of the embassy will create opportunities for attracting bilateral economic treaties to accelerate FDI.
Art and culture
Embassies are the portal of cultural exchange. Argentine culture is a blend of Latin American indigenous traditions and European customs. Dance forms like Tango originated in Argentina. Che Guevara, the prominent communist figure in the Cuban Revolution, was Argentine. One of the most famous Artists of all time is Antonio Berni. He is an Argentine artist known for his paintings treating themes of social protest in a naturalistic or quasi-expressionist manner.
The folklore festivals related to political evolution, history, and emerging culture are rich in Argentina. We have seen Korean, Japanese, Russian and many foreign cultures being accepted and popularised through the embassy events/ programmes and courses. Cultural exchange will strengthen friendship between the two nations.
Travel
Tourism in Argentina is also called the "whole South American package". It is bordered by the Andes mountains to the west and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east. Argentina offers lively cities, glorious historical architecture, wildernesses, majestic waterfalls and mountains, wildlife-filled wetlands, and varieties of local cuisine.
If a Bangladeshi citizen wants to go to Argentina now, they need to apply through the embassy of Argentina in New Delhi, India to get an Argentina visa from Bangladesh. The reopening of the embassy will facilitate Bangladeshi tourists and businesses to get visas directly from Dhaka Embassy. It Saves time, reduces costs, and eases the travel experience.
An embassy is opened to maintain friendly foreign relations between the home country and the host government. Argentina and Bangladesh have huge possibilities to help each other and reach out to address education, public affairs, protecting mutual interest, development cooperation, commerce, press and information, visa management, awareness creation activities, sports, satellite, humanitarian aid, disaster management field, the establishment of cultural centres through the embassy.
Argentina has always been our friend and the Embassy was shut down from Bangladesh due to the absence of mutually beneficial activities and to cut down government costs. The decision to reopen its embassy was driven by a large number of Bangladeshis' support for the Argentina team in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. FIFA's tweet caption was – "the power of football." I would add, netizens united the two nations and that shows the inherent power and possibilities of social media.
Ishrat Binte Rouf is the Lead of Programmes, GenLab, – a youth led think & do tank.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
