DHAKA, Sept 9, 2018 (BSS) – Foreign Minister of Estonia Sven Mikser today
expressed interest in market development in the digital sector of Bangladesh
with an offer of sharing Estonian expertise in e-governance and
digitalisation both with the government and private sectors.
The Estonian minister expressed his keenness at a meeting with his
Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali at the State Guest House
Padma in the city, said an official release.
Mikser is leading a high level delegation of Eston in a visit to
Bangladesh from September 9 to11, the release added.
In the meeting, he informed that Estonia is the most digitally connected
country in the world and their government has implemented e-government system
in every sector, including education, banking, security, land management,
taxation and healthcare.
On international and regional cooperation, the Estonian foreign minister
expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for its support towards Estonia’s maiden
bid for the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council and hoped that the
two countries would continue to enhance their cooperation and contacts on
issues of mutual interest.
Highlighting the Bangladesh’s efforts in the sphere of international
peace and security, Mikser lauded Bangladesh’s role in global peace keeping
through UN peace keeping missions.
Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmood Ali welcomed his Estonian
counterpart and hoped that Bangladesh and Estonia would work closely on
issues of mutual interest as well as issues of global concern such as climate
change and human rights.
Hailing the Estonian offer to share their expertise in e-governance and
digital market place in Bangladesh, the minister welcomed the Estonian
entrepreneurs and investors for digitalization process and digital market
development in Bangladesh.
Informing the Estonian minister about the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ campaign
being implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,
Mahmood Ali hoped that Estonia would be a good partner in Bangladesh’s effort
to transform the country into a developed one by 2041.
He also informed Mikser about the Rohingya issue and said currently
Bangladesh is hosting about 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims
who have been subject to violence and severe atrocity in the Rakhaine State
of Myanmar.
“Bangladesh wants to send the huge population of Rohingyas to their
homeland in safe and secured manner,” Mahmood Ali added.
Earlier, the Estonian foreign minister met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister, the Jatiya
Sangsad Speaker and visited Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar as part of his
visit to Bangladesh.