FM for forging ties with Serbia

Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali Friday put emphasis on forging mutually beneficial relations between Bangladesh and Serbia, with particular focus on economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
He said Bangladesh and the former Yugoslavia enjoyed excellent bilateral relations as the latter played a formative role in securing international recognition for the independent Bangladesh during and after 1971.
"Those historic ties need to be revived to forge mutually beneficial relations between Bangladesh and Serbia, with particular focus on economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts," the foreign minister said.
 Mr Ali expressed this view in a bilateral meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in the Hague, a foreign ministry press release said  in the city.
The two foreign ministers reminisced about the close personal rapport between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the former Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito.
They also agreed to resume exchange of high-level visits to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Ali invited his Serbian counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. The Serbian foreign minister accepted the invitation.
The Serbian foreign minister suggested considering enhanced cooperation in the education sector, and possible visa waiver arrangements between the two countries.
The two ministers further discussed the ongoing efforts to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo under a European Union sponsored initiative.