Argentina is set to reopen its embassy in Bangladesh 45 years after it was closed in 1978 by the military junta that ruled the country at that time.
Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Santiago Andrés Cafiero arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning in a three-day visit to exploit untapped huge trade potential with Bangladesh.
Santiago Andrés Cafiero will inaugurate the new Argentine embassy at Banani in the capital along with State Minister for Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam in the afternoon.
Diplomatic operations, such as visas in order to travel, were handled by the Argentine embassy in India for the last 45 years.
With the latest development, Bangladeshis can obtain visas to travel the Latin nation from Dhaka.
The Argentina foreign ministry said with the reopening of the embassy and its consular section, it wants to use the potential of the bilateral relationship, mainly in the commercial aspect that has a wide potential to diversify trade.
The decision to reopen the embassy was most likely boosted by the massive Bangladeshi support for Lionel Messi's team in the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
After Argentina won the World Cup in December, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a congratulatory letter to the South American country's president, Alberto Fernandez.
In response, President Alberto wrote back, thanking the Bangladesh prime minister.
Alberto said he believed that the people of the two countries would be bound by the bond of brotherhood and harmony by establishing an embassy of Argentina in Dhaka in 2023.
Cafiero's visit
On Monday evening, Argentine foreign minister will hold a bilateral talk with his Bangladesh counterpart Dr Momen at the state guesthouse Jamuna to discuss trade and investment issues.
After that the two foreign ministers are likely to sign agreements between the two countries. Momen will also host a dinner in honor of the Argentine foreign minister after the signing ceremony.
On Tuesday, the Argentine minister will pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreath at Bangabandhu memorial museum at Dhanmondi and also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Cafiero will also meet Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and visit the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) within the framework of affection and the passion that Bangladeshi fans showed for the Argentine team in the last FIFA World Cup.
It will be the first time that a South American foreign minister attends Bangladesh, a nation with which they share half a century of diplomatic relations.
The Argentine foreign ministry also said Cafiero's visit represents a significant event for Argentine geopolitics, since Bangladesh is located at the crossroads of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, being the eighth most populous country in the world, with a market of more than 170 million inhabitants.
In 2022, bilateral trade with Bangladesh was $765 million. Argentine exports reached $742.9 million and imports from Bangladesh totalled $22.1 million. A trade surplus of $720.8 million for Argentina was registered in 2022.
