Safe Migration Pathways: Rome keen to engage constructively with Dhaka
Staff Reporter :
The Italian government has expressed keen interest to engage constructively with Bangladesh for safe migration pathways that would benefit both nations.
The remarks came when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at a city hotel in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
She also proposed the establishment of an Italy-Bangladesh Business Forum aimed at promoting Italian investment in Bangladesh.
Professor Yunus welcomed the initiative, noting that while the two countries share longstanding ties, there remains significant potential to expand trade and investment cooperation.
The leaders also discussed a wide range of issues, including the upcoming general election in Bangladesh, migration challenges, the Rohingya refugee crisis, and a possible visit by Prime Minister Meloni to Bangladesh in December.
On the issue of migration, Prime Minister Meloni expressed Italy’s willingness to engage constructively with Dhaka to ensure safe migration pathways that would benefit both nations.
She underscored the need for stronger measures to combat human trafficking, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean.
In response, Chief Adviser Yunus stated that the Bangladeshi interim government has already adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward human trafficking and has implemented several initiatives to ensure safer migration routes for Bangladeshi citizens.
“We need more global efforts to prevent human smuggling,” Professor Yunus emphasised.
Addressing the political transition in Bangladesh, Professor Yunus said the country is on track to hold general elections in February, after which he plans to return to his previous role.
Prime Minister Meloni commended Professor Yunus’s leadership over the past 14 months as the head of the interim government and assured him that Italy would advocate within the European Union to support Bangladesh in holding a free and fair election.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the ongoing Rohingya crisis. Professor Yunus urged increased international support for over one million Rohingya refugees currently sheltered in Bangladesh.
In response, Prime Minister Meloni pledged to send a high-level delegation to next week’s international conference on the crisis at UN headquarters.
Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman, and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting.