Argentina keen to reopen its embassy in Bangladesh after four decades

Staff Reporter :
Argentina is keen to reopen its embassy in Bangladesh after four decades of its closure following Bangladesh’s overwhelming support for Lionel Messi and the Argentina team playing in the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022.
Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero announced that his country would reopen an embassy here following his visit to Bangladesh next year to finalise it, a south Atlantic news agency, MercoPress, reported on Sunday. The Argentina embassy in Bangladesh was closed in 1978.
Bangladesh has always had a die-hard Argentina fanbase, but during this Qatar World Cup, they grabbed global attention by displaying their immense passion. It all began when a video of ecstatic Bangladeshi supporters cheering Messi’s goal against Mexico was posted by the official FIFA Twitter account.
The tale of Bangladesh and Argentina quickly went viral, and started trending on the internet. The Argentine media also covered it.
Later, the official Twitter account of Argentina’s national football team tweeted about Bangladesh with the following message: “Thank you for supporting our team!! They are crazy like us!”
Argentines joined the media and journalists in expressing their gratitude for Bangladesh on social media.
As reciprocation for Bangladesh’s undying love for the Argentine football team, an Argentine fan group for the Bangladesh national cricket team was created on social media.
Quoted Argentine Foreign Minister Cafiero, the MercoPress reported that he would visit Bangladesh next year to finalise the proposal after participating in the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in India.
In August this year, Cafiero met with his Bangladeshi counterpart, AK Abdul Momen, to promote bilateral cooperation and agreed to “widen potential for trade growth.”
“With the reopening of the Embassy and its consular section, we seek to exploit the potential of the bilateral relation, mainly in the commercial aspect, which has a wide potential for growth, seeking to diversify trade and the Argentine exportable offer. Likewise, to promote cooperation in the sports, satellite, humanitarian aid, and disaster management fields,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Last year, Argentina exported products – mostly wheat, corn, and by-products of soybeans – worth $ 876 million to Bangladesh, a record high that resulted in a $ 862 million trade surplus for the South American nation.
In July, Argentina informed Bangladesh that the South American country is open to exporting soybean, beef and fertilizer to Bangladesh.