In the last fortnight, I had a meeting with the acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Khondker Talha here in Northampton.
Northampton has a significant population of residents of Bangladeshi origin and I regularly attend and support events put on by that community.
I have also organised several visits of high ranking diplomats to Northampton over the years, including the American Ambassador this January, because I consider it important to showcase the town for business and cultural reasons.
I know that following the EU Referendum, many people wish to see Britain’s relationship with Commonwealth countries strengthened, and this was one of the things I discussed with Mr Talha. As a nation, our trade and cultural links with Bangladesh are very important – we are the largest source of foreign investment in Bangladesh, and we are the destination for a large number of Bangladeshi exports. We also co-operate on a number of important issues, such as counter-terrorism.
One area of particular co-operation is Britain’s training of Bangladeshi armed forces, who are important contributors to UN Peacekeeping missions. I was keen to meet the High Commissioner and use this chance to make sure that Northampton plays its full role in this increasingly important trading and cultural relationship.