Argentine FM arrives to reopen mission

Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Santiago Andrés Cafiero arrived this morning to reopen his country's new embassy here for exploiting untapped huge trade potential with Bangladesh.  
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen received his Argentine counterpart at the VIP Lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Cafiero will inaugurate the new Argentine embassy at Banani in the capital along with State Minister for Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam this afternoon.

In the evening, Argentine foreign minister will hold a bilateral talk with his Bangladesh counterpart Dr Momen at the state guesthouse Jamuna to discuss trade and investment issues.

After that the two foreign ministers are likely to sign agreements between the two countries. Momen will also host a dinner in honor of the Argentine foreign minister after the signing ceremony.

On Tuesday, the Argentine minister will pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreath at Bangabandhu memorial museum at Dhanmondi and also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Cafiero will also meet Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and visit the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) within the framework of affection and the passion that Bangladeshi fans showed for the Argentine team in the last FIFA World Cup.

Argentina is reopening its embassy here 45 years after it was closed here in 1978 by the military junta that ruled the country at that time.

Diplomatic operations, such as visas in order to travel, have since been handled by the Argentine embassy in India.

The Argentina foreign ministry said with the reopening of the embassy and its consular section, it wants to use the potential of the bilateral relationship, mainly in the commercial aspect that has a wide potential to diversify trade.

It will be the first time that a South American foreign minister attends Bangladesh, a nation with which they share half a century of diplomatic relations, it said.

The Argentine foreign ministry also said Cafiero's visit represents a significant event for Argentine geopolitics, since Bangladesh is located at the crossroads of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, being the eighth most populous country in the world, with a market of more than 170 million inhabitants.

In 2022, bilateral trade with Bangladesh was USD 765 million. Argentine exports reached USD 742.9 million and imports from Bangladesh totaled USD 22.1 million. A trade surplus of USD 720.8 million for Argentina was registered in 2022.