New UK envoy hopeful to strengthen ties with Bangladesh

Staff Reporter  :
The newly appointed British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke is committed to strengthen the long and friendly bilateral relationship and look forward to deepening the extensive cooperation between our two nations.

She came up with the statement when she arrived her new station in Dhaka by succeeding Robert Chatterton Dickson, said a press release on Sunday.

“I am delighted and deeply honoured to be returning to Bangladesh as British High Commissioner. The United Kingdom has strong cultural, political and economic ties with Bangladesh and works closely with the Government and people of Bangladesh on our many shared interests, including trade, investment, development and security. I am committed to strengthening the long and friendly bilateral relationship and look forward to deepening the extensive cooperation between our two countries,” Cooke said.

Ms Cooke previously served in Bangladesh from 2012-2016, as the Country Representative for the Department for International Development (DFID). Most recently, she was Head of the South East Asia Department at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (2020-2023) and the British High Commissioner to Tanzania (2016-2020).

Cooke joined DFID in 2005 where her roles included leading UK international development policy on economic growth and investment, anti-corruption and aid effectiveness.

She also worked as the Deputy Head of the Commission for Africa Secretariat and as a Deputy Director in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office.
Before joining the UK Civil Service, Cooke worked in Guyana in the Ministry of Trade; in the Solomon Islands as an Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce; and as an Economic Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers.