Italy has lauded the impressive socio-economic progress of Bangladesh in recent years.

Italian Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi conveyed the message to Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen as he called on her on Wednesday (7 June) in Rome, said a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The Italian Undersecretary expressed satisfaction with the signing of the MoU on bilateral consultation between the two foreign ministries and the holding of the first meeting of the political consultations earlier on the day between the two foreign secretaries in Rome.

While thanking the Italian government for inclusion of Bangladesh successively in the second year (2022) under the Flussi Decree for seasonal and non-seasonal employment of Bangladeshi workers in Italy, Ambassador Momen expressed deep appreciation for hosting the large Bangladesh community, second largest in Europe after the UK.

The Undersecretary deeply appreciated the Bangladesh diaspora for being peace-loving and hard-working.

She felt that it would be mutually beneficial if Bangladeshi skilled workers could be brought into Italy through a formal mechanism for which both countries are currently working closely.

Foreign Secretary Momen appreciated the constructive position of the Italian government on the Rohingya issue and urged Italy to exert more pressure on the Myanmar government to take their nationals back. 

Undersecretary Tripodi thanked the government of Bangladesh for hosting around 1.2 million Rohingyas.

Foreign Secretary Momen invited the Italian Undersecretary to visit Bangladesh to witness the development journey and the indomitable spirit of the nation which she accepted gladly.