DHAKA, July 02, 2022 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen formally inaugurated the new own three-storey chancery building of Bangladesh Embassy on a land plot of 2,000 square metres in Lisbon, Portugal, on Friday. 

"This building is not just a mere construction or enclosure, but bears our message to our friends in Portugal that we value our shared history, that we cherish our present-day human connectivity, and that we look to our shared future with much anticipation and optimism," he said after inauguration the new building. 

Dr Momen said that the chancery building symbolises the presence of a transforming Bangladesh and stands poised to enhance its global footprints by surging ahead with its value-based diplomacy in pursuit of its national development aspirations, a foreign ministry press release said here today.

 
After unveiling the inaugural plaque and cutting the ribbon, the Foreign Minister paid his homage to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a floral wreath at his mural portrait lying on the wall of the chancery building. 
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Ambassador Alvaro MendonOa e Moura graced the inaugural ceremony as special guest.

Moura in his remarks congratulated Bangladesh government and all the expatriates living in Portugal at this historic moment. 

He observed that the friendly relation between Bangladesh and Portugal would be elevated to a higher level with this inauguration of the permanent chancery building in Lisbon.

In his welcome speech, Bangladesh Ambassador to Portugal Tarik Ahsan said that permanent chancery building had been a long-felt need, as workload of the embassy has increased manifold, due to its increased activities in consular affairs as well as in pursuit of economic, cultural and public diplomacy. 

After the main segment of inaugural ceremony, the Foreign Minister inaugurated Bangabandhu Corner of the chancery, went round different sections of the building and interacted with consular service seekers.

The entrance and premises of the chancery wore a festive look with decorations while expatriate Bangladeshis expressed their joy at having a Bangladesh-owned embassy in Portugal. 
 
The resident Embassy of Bangladesh in Lisbon was first established at a rented building in July 2012 while the Bangladesh government bought two properties in 2020 for permanent addresses of the chancery and the ambassador's residence. 

Main features of the property include reception area, auditorium, Bangabandhu Corner, conference room, dining room, wide exhibition room, consular service area with separate entrance, spacious waiting room and fountain, apart from office rooms for officials as well as large open space suitable for hosting big public events. 

This is one of the largest chancery buildings of Bangladesh in Europe, said the foreign ministry. 

Earlier in the morning, Momen had a bilateral meeting with Portuguese Foreign Minister Dr. Joao Gomes Cravinho.

On Thursday evening, the Foreign Minister attended a reception arranged by the Bangladesh community in Portugal. 

He listened to the issues raised by the expatriates Bangladeshis and assured them that he would advise appropriate authorities back in Bangladesh to address the issues relating passport and police clearances.