Metro Mayor Andy Street Bangs Drum for West Midlands in Bangladesh
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Metro Mayor Andy Street Bangs Drum for West Midlands in Bangladesh
The visit follows a week-long trip to India with a West Midlands delegation
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, has visited Bangladesh this week following a week-long trade mission to neighbouring India.
In his first visit to the independent South Asian nation, the Mayor is meeting with local business, academic and political figures to reflect on the existing close ties between the West Midlands and Bangladesh and explore new trade, diplomatic and cultural opportunities.
More than one in ten of the West Midlands population is of Bangladeshi heritage and the UK is the country’s third biggest trading partner behind only the United States and Germany.
The Mayor flew into the capital city Dhaka from Dehli in India on Sunday (13th November) where he has spent the last week spearheading a trade mission made up of West Midlands business and political leaders to promote opportunities for bilateral trade and investment.
The Mayor said: “After a packed agenda in India, I’m pleased to be making my first ever visit to Bangladesh.
“Given the size of the Bangladeshi community living in the West Midlands, I’m really looking forward to an exciting cultural, commercial and diplomatic itinerary that will unlock new opportunities for us in the months and years ahead.”
The Mayor’s itinerary also saw him visit Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument in Dhaka commemorating those killed during the Bengali Language Movement demonstrations of 1952 in what was then East Pakistan.
During the three-day visit the Mayor, whose role involves serving as a global ambassador for the West Midlands, will meet with key business leaders from many of the big corporations who have a presence in Bangladesh as well as senior politicians including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Mayors of Dhaka.
He will also be meeting various business organisations and their members and take part in a panel discussion on developing smart cities.
The Mayor will move on to the north-eastern city of Sylhet on Tuesday (November 15) where he will visit a tea plantation and meet the Mayor of Sylhet.
Dominic Stanford