Metropolis Special –
Portuguese leadership acknowledges the valuable contribution of Bangladeshi migrants to the economy, culture, and society of Portugal
Bangladesh Ambassador to Portugal Tarik Ahsan has expressed this view while talking to The Metropolis recently.
Tarik Ahsan has been serving the Bangladesh mission in Portugal since 2020 with great endeavor and high commitment.
Tarik Ahsan is a career foreign service officer belonging to the 9th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs Cadre.
In his diplomatic career, Ambassador Ahsan served in various capacities in Bangladesh missions in Riyadh, Jakarta, Berlin, and Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
He also served as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka. At the foreign ministry in Dhaka, he headed different directorates and wings, notably the Europe directorate and International Organizations Wing.
Ambassador Ahsan obtained his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
He secured a post-graduate diploma in International Relations and Development from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at the Hague in the Netherlands.
Apart from attending different training courses in Bangladesh as a civil servant, he also received training at UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in New York and Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore
Tarik Ahsan said that an estimated 15 to 20 thousand Bangladeshis are working in different sectors of the Portuguese economy. Most Portuguese people appreciate the hard work, discipline, and integration of Bangladeshi migrants in Portugal. Bangladeshis have also been elected to the Parish Council (local government) in Portugal, he added.
The remaining part of the interview is as follows:
- Bangladesh-Portugal bilateral trade is hovering around some 100 million US dollars. What is our target to reach bilateral trade within the next five years?
Answer: If you compare the GDP of Portugal with that of other EU countries, Bangladesh’s export to Portugal is more or less proportional to other EU countries in terms of GDP. In other words, given the relatively small size of the Portuguese economy, the volume of export from Bangladesh to Portugal is what is expected and not small. That does not mean that we remain complacent and do not exert endeavors to exceed the expectation.
Indeed, increasing trade is one of the primary objectives of our Embassy and our efforts have already paid off to some extent. In the last financial year 2021-22, Bangladesh’s export to Portugal increased by 38 percent from 75.97 million US dollars to 105.32 million US dollars. Two-way trade is obviously much larger than this figure. Assuming no serious deterioration of the global economic situation, we can set a realistic target of trade volume reaching USD 300 million in the next five years.
- The Russia-Ukraine war has caused a rise in the price of essential commodities in the world market. Consumers of poor and developing countries have become the aware victim of this volatile market. How do you see the situation?
Answer: The current situation is of significant concern not only for developing but also for developed countries. It’s not just the Russia-Ukraine war. The huge borrowing during the Covid-19 pandemic is also taking a toll now. The present inflation together with the shortage of energy and food has far-reaching consequences in terms of economic, social, and political stability throughout the world. All countries of the world are being affected somehow or other. The countries having greater self-sufficiency in, or access to, energy and food will perhaps be in a better position to tackle the crisis.
- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow to Bangladesh suffered in 2020 and 2021 as a corona pandemic hit the world. Do you see Portuguese investment in Bangladesh, particularly in the power and energy sectors? How do you evaluate the investment climate in Bangladesh?
Answer: Bangladesh has traditionally received investment mostly from Asia rather than from Europe. Physical distance, cultural differences, and general transition away from manufacturing may be the reason for less interest of European countries in investment in developing Asian countries like Bangladesh, where the labor-intensive manufacturing sector remains the main area of production.
Having said that, we believe that investment is possible from Portugal to Bangladesh in some industrial selected sectors where Portugal has traditionally been engaged, like leather, or where Portugal is doing particularly well in present times, for example, power & energy, particularly renewable energy.
The climate of investment in Bangladesh is among the best in the world. From our Embassy, we are playing our part in encouraging Portuguese investment. With a view to creating financial conditions conducive to investment, we have facilitated the resumption of negotiations between Bangladesh and Portugal on the Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation in October 2022, after a gap of 7 years. An Agreement on the Protection of Investment between the two countries is also under consideration.
- Bangladesh is celebrating 51 years of independence this year. Bangladesh has become a member of a mid-income country this year. How do Portuguese people see the achievement of Bangladesh’s economic success in the last 51 years?
Answer: Although the people of Bangladesh and Portugal had been connected since the 16th century, bilateral relations between the two countries did not develop much in the recent history of the last 48 years of diplomatic relations. In the recent past, Portuguese people knew Bangladesh primarily through the migrant Bangladeshis in Portugal. The relationship was largely unidimensional and focused on migration.
However, in the last two years, we tried to diversify the relationship in various fields of cooperation. We have been able to facilitate the signature of two cooperation agreements this year between Bangladesh and Portugal – one between BUET and the Institute of Superior Technology and another between the University of Dhaka and Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language. An agreement on cultural relations is at its final stage of negotiations. Talks are underway for cooperation in the sectors of shipping, marine science, export promotion, research, and so on.
Through our outreach to the host society and media, we have tried and enlightened Portuguese people on a composite picture of Bangladesh, a leading country in Asia in terms of its literary, intellectual, and cultural heritage. In the first-ever bilateral visit between the two countries, the Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Md. Shahriar Alam visited Portugal in May 2022, during which he engaged in various activities, notably, interaction with Portuguese civil society representatives at a seminar, and meeting business leaders, apart from attending bilateral meetings and social events. Moreover, during his visit to Portugal in June 2022 on the occasion of the 2nd UN Ocean Conference, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen held bilateral talks with his Portuguese counterpart.
In this positive ambiance of relation, Portuguese people are beginning to know more about the real, positive Bangladesh and appreciate the impressive socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Work is underway to create a Parliamentary Friendship Group for Bangladesh in Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic. Moreover, the Secretary of State (State Minister) for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal Dr. Francisco André plans to pay an official visit to Bangladesh in mid-November 2022. This will be the first-ever bilateral visit from Portugal to Bangladesh in the 48-year history of diplomatic relations. As a result of all these positive developments, Portuguese people will have an even better impression of Bangladesh in the coming years.
- Portugal has major success in the travel and tourism sector. How can Dhaka and Lisbon work together in promoting the tourism sector in Bangladesh?
Answer: Portugal’s success in the tourism sector is primarily attributed to natural & architectural beauty, Atlantic beaches, sunny climate, good communication, affordable accommodation, safety, and security. Portugal does not have what is called commercial tourism with big investments. Hence, we do not expect any large-scale investment from Portugal in Bangladesh’s tourism sector.
However, Bangladesh can learn from Portugal how to maximize the potential of the natural and cultural beauty of Bangladesh. This may be possible through joint ventures and human resource development in the tourism sector. There is also the potential for an increased number of tourists from Portugal to Bangladesh. Our Embassy is quite liberal in issuing visas to Portuguese tourists. Bangladesh’s winter presents attractive weather for Europeans. The pristine natural beauty, if presented through eco-tourism, will appeal to responsible tourists from Europe. Portuguese heritage in Bangladesh will also be particularly attractive to Portuguese tourists. With continuing improvement in communication, affordable accommodation, safety, and security in the tourist areas of Bangladesh, we can look forward to an increased number of tourists from Portugal.
- What is the number of Bangladeshis living in Portugal? How do Portuguese people see their contribution to the Portuguese economy?
Answer: It is difficult to put a figure on the number of Bangladeshi migrants living in Portugal. A rough estimate would be between 15 and 20 thousand. Most Portuguese people appreciate the hard work, discipline, and integration of Bangladeshi migrants in Portugal. Bangladeshi migrants are working mainly in souvenir shops, restaurants, farming, industry, and so on. Many of them own businesses. Bangladeshis have also been elected to the Parish Council (local government) in Portugal. Portuguese leadership acknowledges the valuable contribution of Bangladeshi migrants to the economy, culture, and society of Portugal.
- Bangladesh’s export sector is heavily dependent on the RMG sector (80-85 percent of total export). Can Portugal help Bangladesh in diversifying its export basket?
Answer: Yes. Currently, knit & woven apparels and shrimps occupy a predominant position in the basket of export from Bangladesh to Portugal, like the rest of the EU countries. We are trying to portray the correct picture to Portuguese society that Bangladesh is not just a source of primary products; but also, a source of quality industrial products at affordable prices. In line with this, we are promoting non-traditional export products like pharmaceuticals, ceramics, electronics, ICT, bicycles, ships, jute products (Sonali Bag), etc. in the Portuguese market. Portugal offers a relatively easier gateway to the EU market. Some progress is being made in these efforts.
- How is the high cost of energy hitting daily life in Portugal?
Answer: The high price of energy itself is not having a major impact as such, because Russian oil and gas used to account for only 5% of Portugal’s demand. On the other hand, Portugal stands out as a country that derives a significant (about 30 percent) amount of energy from its renewable sector. In respect of electricity production, the share of renewable is even higher (about 60 percent). Portugal and Spain have secured a dispensation from European Commission to put a cap on the price of renewables, which would otherwise increase in market response to the rise of the price of gas. Thus, the electricity price has increased but remained reasonable in Portugal. The increased price of fuel is, of course, affecting daily life in Portugal in the form of a price hike.
- What are other issues that you would like to share with our news portal?
Answer: Bangladesh is maintaining a resident Embassy in Lisbon for 10 years since 2012. It is a matter of pride that, about two years back, Bangladesh Embassy in Lisbon moved to its permanent location, a property purchased and remodeled by the Bangladesh government. The new property is large and suitable for better delivery of consular service to the people and better public diplomacy initiatives of the Embassy to reach out to the local Portuguese and Bangladeshis. Bangladesh’s government has been calling upon the Portuguese government to consider opening its resident diplomatic mission in Dhaka. The Portuguese government has assured us that, pending the opening of a resident mission in Dhaka, they would find some way to receive long-term Portuguese visa applications in Dhaka so that applicants will not have to travel to their Embassy in New Delhi.
There is interest in some Portuguese employers to recruit Bangladeshi workers. Some Bangladeshis are also interested to work in Portugal. Currently, some Bangladeshis are being recruited for work in Portugal. We are talking with Portuguese authorities about the possibility of putting in place a transparent regime for safe, orderly, and regular recruitment from Bangladesh to Portugal. This will define in clear terms the rights and responsibilities of the employers and employees, and dispel any illusions about the process.
Bangladesh and Portugal have decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in the year 2024. The concerned offices of the two countries will chalk out a series of events to commemorate this occasion.
