DHAKA, April 29, 2024 (BSS) - Austria today offered to take skilled workers from Bangladesh and showed keen interest to invest in the country's green energy, particularly wind and waste2energy sectors.
 
The offers were made at a bilateral meeting between foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on the sidelines of the international conference on Autonomous Weapon Systems in Vienna, a foreign ministry's press release said here.
 
During the meeting, the two foreign ministers agreed to deepen bilateral relations in the fields of economic cooperation, trade and investment, migration and mobility, climate change, waste management, as well as post-graduation trade facilities for Bangladesh.
 
They also agreed that there are ample opportunities to increase bilateral trade and Austrian investment in Bangladesh.
 
Both the ministers underscored the importance of exchange of trade missions as well as early signing of the proposed agreement on the avoidance of double taxation in this regard.
 
Austrian foreign minister agreed to send a trade mission to Bangladesh this autumn to explore of opening a trade office in Dhaka.
 
Hasan and Schallenberg also agreed to conclude a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) on migration and mobility soon to start skill movement mobility from Bangladesh to Austria.
 
Bangladesh foreign minister particularly highlighted that ICT professionals from Bangladesh can contribute to Austrian companies.
 
The two foreign ministers also shared their views on regional developments in South Asia and Europe and beyond, including the situations in Myanmar, Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
 
Hasan urged the international community to help repatriate the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar for peace and stability in the region and beyond.
 
The Bangladesh foreign minister is on a two-day visit to Vienna from April 28-29, 2024 at the invitation of his Austrian counterpart to attend the conference.
 
UNVEILED BANGABANDHU'S SCULPTURE  

On Sunday, the foreign minister unveiled a bust sculpture of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangladesh Embassy and Permanent Mission in Vienna and paid his profound tributes.
 
Thanking the embassy for installing the sculpture, Hasan said that Bangabandhu is not only the Bangabandhu of Bengali, but the symbol of world humanity.
 
Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Vienna Asad Alam Siam, embassy officials and members of expatriate Bangladeshi were present on the occasion.
 
After unveiling the sculpture, the foreign minister planted a sapling on the embassy premises and visited various parts of the embassy including Bangabandhu Corner.
 
The Bangladesh embassy in Vienna is the property of the Bangladesh government.