Dhaka, 19 July 2022:
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam who is on a 4-day maiden official
visit to Brazil signed an ‘Agreement on the Exemption of Visa for Diplomatic and Official
Passports’ on the 50 years of Bangladesh-Brazil diplomatic relations. The Foreign Minister of
Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França signed the agreement on behalf of the Brazilian
government.
A high-profile business delegation led by the President of the FBCCI Mr. Jashim Uddin
and the representatives of the Bangladesh-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) accompanied
the State Minister during the visit.
Recently the State Minister delivered a lecture for the trainee diplomats at the Rio Branco
institute (Foreign Services Academy of Brazil) in Brasília. More than 100 guests comprising high
officials from the host government, Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society,
trainee diplomats, journalists along with members of FUNAG (Research Institute for
International Relations) attended the event. Mentionable that Instituto Rio Branco is a ‘’state of
the art’’ training center for diplomats from Brazilian and other parts of the world.
Giving an overview of our struggle for independence, the State Minister highlighted how
the charismatic Leader Father of the Nation Bangabandhu led the nation to have the right to
speak in its mother tongue and later the war for independence in 1971. Stressing the geo-strategic
importance of Bangladesh, he explained how Bangladesh is connecting South Asia and Southeast
Asia for a greater economic feat. He also highlighted the unprecedented socio-economic growth
in Bangladesh under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. State Minister
Alam explained to the trainee diplomats of Rio Branco- how continuity of the government,
investment in the rural economy and women empowerment led the country to sustainable and
steady socio-economic strides. In the question-and-answer session it revealed that the State
Minister’s lecture created huge interest among the trainee diplomats from Brazil and Bangladesh
and its impressive trajectory of socio-economic progress.
After the interactive session, the State Minister witnessed the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) between the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy and Instituto Rio
Branco (Foreign Service Academy of Brazil), Bangladesh Ambassador Sadia Faizunnesa and
Ambassador Glivania Maria Oliveira, Director of Rio Branco signed the MOU from their own
sides.
State Minister Md. Shahriar Alam attended the ‘Celebration of 50th Anniversary of
Bangladesh-Brazil Diplomatic Relations’ as Guest of Honour hosted by the Bangladesh
Ambassador to Brazil Sadia Faizunnesa. In his remark the State Minister thanked and
congratulated the Brazilians on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-Brazil diplomatic relations
and congratulated the Brazilian as they are celebrating the 200th years of the independence of
Brazil. More than 100 guests comprising members of the diplomatic corps, academics,
journalists, businessmen and high-level Brazilian government officials attended the reception.
