The Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara is set to arrive in Dhaka early tomorrow on a three-day visit.
Bangladesh and The Gambia have developed a special relationship after the African nation filed a Rohingya genocide case with the International Court of Justice in November 2019, for failing to prevent or punish genocide against the Rohingya.
Since then, the two countries discussed ways of expanding trade cooperation as well as co-deploying troops of the two countries to a suitable United Nations Peacekeeping Mission as a new contingent.
The visit comes days ahead of UN Secretary-General António Guterres' visit in Bangladesh where he is expected to witness the experience of Rohingyas living in Cox's Bazar first-hand along with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
"The Gambian minister will be visiting to discuss the Rohingya crisis as well as further bilateral relationship, including trade and investment," a foreign ministry official told The Daily Star today.
Dr Mamadou Tangara is scheduled to call on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin, and attend a seminar on the Rohingya crisis.
The visit takes place when Bangladesh faces an uphill task of handling more than 1.1 million Rohingya sheltered in Cox's Bazar and Bhashan Char, while facing new challenges of fresh influx of Rohigya from Myanmar's Rakhine state where the Arakan Army is fighting the Myanmar military.
Rights activists say the International Court of Justice's order to prevent any further genocidal acts against the Rohingya in Myanmar is being complied.
Foreign ministry officials said during his visit, Tangara will also sign an agreement on the waiver of visas for official and diplomatic passport holders.
"There are scopes of trade in the areas of ship making, agriculture as well as pharmaceutical sectors," the official said.
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