Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer has said Bangladesh and Australia need to redouble their efforts to ensure that the two countries can take advantage of new opportunities in trade and investment as the world begins to recover from the fallouts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In Australia and Bangladesh, economic recovery will depend on a strong business sector,” he told UNB in an interview.
The High Commission who previously served as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar said it will be important for Bangladesh to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to help its economy adapt and expand.
In his first interview with any media in Bangladesh, Bruer said Australia and Bangladesh are working together to identify sectors in which Australian businesses can invest, including information and communications technology (ICT) and e-commerce.
Beyond that, he said, there may also be opportunities in agri-business, education and mining exploration.
“As both countries face the huge challenges involved in recovering from the pandemic, I want to ensure that the strong links between our two countries – in business and trade, education, culture, in regional and multilateral fora and sustainable development – continue to grow,” said High Commissioner Bruer.
Responding to a question, the Australian High Commissioner said the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on all countries.
But the strong bilateral and people-to-people links between Australia and Bangladesh will endure, said the envoy who presented credentials to President Abul Hamid in February 20 this year.
The Australian envoy thinks it will take time to understand the pandemic’s full impact.
It will also take time to comprehend fully the opportunities presented by the crisis, he said adding that they will continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship through innovation and cooperation.
Australia was one of the first countries – and the first in the developed world – to recognise Bangladesh’s independence.
Till date, the High Commissioner said, relations between the two nations remain warm and mutually beneficial. “We’ll remain partners in business and trade, education, culture, in regional and multilateral fora and sustainable development,”Bruersaid.
Australia said it is committed to supporting Bangladesh, including during the pandemic.
“We provided immediate support through our trusted partners WFP, UNDP and BRAC,” said the High Commissioner.
Bruersaid Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne recently announced Australia’s new development strategy, ‘Partnerships for Recovery’, to make sure development cooperation remains well placed to contribute to a stable, prosperous, resilient Indo-Pacific following Covid-19.
The Australian envoy said Australia will continue to work with Bangladesh to support development needs in the areas of health security, stability and economic recovery, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.
High Commissioner Bruer said Bangladesh’s readymade garments (RMG) sector, which has built a strong global reputation over the past decade, has been hit particularly hard by Covid-19.
The Australian government has provided targeted assistance to Australian businesses during Covid-19 to support their recovery, including maintaining international trade with countries such as Bangladesh, he said.
“We understand that some Australian companies have worked positively with their suppliers in Bangladesh to navigate mutual challenges they may have encountered,” said the High Commissioner.
RMG exports orders, worth over US$ billion, to various countries were cancelled or held up in the first few months of the pandemic and the exporters got back some of the cancelled orders amid negotiations.
The High Commissioner said he is delighted that his term as Australian High Commissioner coincides with some important milestones in the history of Bangladesh, and in the relationship between Australia and Bangladesh.
“Of course, this year we’re celebrating the centenary of the birth of (Bangabandhu) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s ‘Father of the Nation’. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, followed in 2022 by the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Bangladesh,” he said.
Unfortunately, the envoy said, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected celebrations this year.
“But I look forward to marking these milestones as circumstances allow,”Bruersaid.
The newly appointed Australian High Commissioner said he is committed to the partnership between Australia and Bangladesh in humanitarian and disaster response.
In addition to the impact of Covid-19, Bangladesh has experienced some of the worst floods in nearly two decades.
“To support those most affected, Australia has provided $250,000 to the Monsoon Flood Response Plan,” said the High Commissioner.
This funding, he said, will provide emergency food and nutrition support through WFP.
Australia has provided AUD190 million since 2017 to support the Bangladeshi host community and Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we’ve drawn on our existing humanitarian partnerships and provided additional funding to support the Covid-19 response,” said the High Commissioner.
