"I was very pleased today to welcome the Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abul Kalam Abdul Momen.
I remember, dear colleague, that as Minister of Public Order, I was fortunate to visit Dhaka in 2013 and be received by the Prime Minister, Ms Sheikh Hasina.
Today's meeting was friendly and constructive, and we exchanged views on numerous issues of common interest, such as the environment. Climate change affects us all. We listened to the Bangladeshi views with particular interest, in regard to both regional issues of Southern Asia and issues of global concern. Environmental protection is such an issue.
I, in turn, had the opportunity to brief my counterpart on current developments concerning European Union issues as well as issues of concern to our region, the Mediterranean and the Western Balkans.
We had the opportunity, in the presence of my dear friend, Alternate Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos, to exchange views on issues that concern the major concern of migration.
The Greek government is working hard and taking specific measures to expedite procedures that will allow for an increase in the number of returns, in the context of the relevant EU - Turkey joint statement.
I must stress that returns will continue taking place in absolute compliance with international law and in accordance with the strong sentiment of humanism and responsibility to our fellow man, which characterises both the Greek state apparatus and Greek society.
This attitude of responsibility has been acknowledged at the international level and is absolutely non-negotiable.
This attitude should serve as a moral compass to those who insist on capitalising on human pain in the service of their own interests. I call upon them to leave this policy behind and honour their international commitments.
More importantly, though, today's meeting was the ideal trigger to renew our bilateral relations. The Memorandum of Understanding signed today between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs concerns our cooperation in the area of diplomatic training and constitutes a concrete step in this direction. During our discussion, we also outlined the potential for mutual support between Greece and Bangladesh in regard to various issues.
Moreover, in the context of our effort to broaden our economic and trade relations, my colleague expressed his country’s readiness to step up cooperation on all fronts. I also accepted his invitation to visit Bangladesh soon, heading a group of Greek entrepreneurs. It is my expectation that this will carry over to a number of other fields, such as culture and education. I also expressed Greece’s readiness for exchange of know-how with Bangladesh in all areas of mutual interest.
In closing, I would like to state that I also informed my colleague of the Greek Prime Minister’s initiative for the protection of cultural heritage threatened by climate change, and asked for the participation of Bangladesh.
My warm thanks to you, dear colleague, for this highly interesting and constructive meeting."
October 29, 2019