Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen called upon the UK government to expedite the extradition process of the Bangladeshi citizens, including BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, who were convicted by Bangladesh courts.
The minister made the call when outgoing British High Commissioner Alison Blake paid farewell call on him at his office on Tuesday.
"I have told her that we need to implement the verdict of our courts. So extradite the convicted Bangladeshis quickly. When they mentioned that they were working on the extradition agreement, I requested them to expedite the process," the minister told the FE.
When asked whether he mentioned the name of Tarique Rahman while discussing the issue, the minister said, "I have not mentioned any name. I have requested them to extradite all convicted Bangladeshis."
"I told them that they should not encourage any terrorist or any criminal whoever he or she is because we have exactly the same position regarding this. As UK has to implement the verdicts of its courts similarly, we have to implement the verdicts of our courts" he added.
The minister sought Blake's continued support to encourage more investment by the UK companies in Bangladesh.
Referring to more than half a million strong British-Bangladeshis in the UK, mostly from Sylhet, he also urged the High Commissioner to make UK visa processing more hassle free.
The British High Commissioner thanked the Foreign Minister for all the support she received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government, as a whole.
Referring to the upcoming 3rd Strategic Dialogue between Bangladesh and the UK, to be held in April 2019 in Dhaka, she termed it as a "wonderful framework" for in-depth review of bilateral relations between the two countries" foreign ministry officials said.
On the foreign minister's reference to post-Brexit trade preferences for Bangladesh, the British High Commissioner reassured that Bangladesh would continue to enjoy EU's Everything But Arms (EBA) like trade preferences until an even better deal is worked out between the two countries.
Talking to the newsmen after the meeting, the British High Commissioner said the UK would continue playing key role at the global level for finding a sustainable and peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis.
Blake also called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and thanked him for all the support she received during her tenure in Bangladesh.
They exchanged views on current political relations including high number of incoming visits from UK over past few years, Rohingya crisis, countering terrorism and upcoming Cricket World Cup in the UK.
Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque hosted a farewell lunch in honour of the outgoing British High Commissioner at the State Guest House Padma, where senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and business leaders were present.
High Commissioner Alison Blake presented her Letters of Credence to the Honourable President on 19 January, 2016 and is scheduled to depart the country on Thursday (March 07) after the end of her tour of duty.
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