Bangladesh and Switzerland have agreed to continue to work together in global negotiations in the areas of migration and climate.
The agreement came at the second Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Switzerland held at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
Ambassador Mizanur Rahman, Additional Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Bangladesh delegation while Ambassador Johannes Matyassy, Assistant State Secretary for Asia and Pacific, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, led the Swiss side.
Switzerland and Bangladesh discussed bilateral cooperation in various sectors including Trade and Investment, Development, Human Rights, Cultural Exchanges, Renewable Energy, and Connectivity. Bangladesh side mentioned that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's vision was to follow Switzerland as a role model in foreign policy and make Bangladesh a "Switzerland of the East".
Based on the philosophy of their most famous thinker, Voltaire, Switzerland has long followed a policy of steadfast neutrality in international affairs.
Bangladesh and Switzerland appreciated the establishment of the political consultation mechanism as this would make bilateral interactions possible on a regular basis.
It was also noted by the Bangladesh side that Bangladesh is going to co-host the South Asian Regional Consultation on "Climate Change, Disasters and Human Mobility in South Asia and Indian Ocean", along with Switzerland and Norway, in Khulna from April 3-5, 2015.     ?UNB