German Vice Minister Bärbel Kofler Arrives in Dhaka Today for Three-Day Visit on Future Development Cooperation
German Vice Minister Dr Bärbel Kofler arrives in Dhaka today, Sunday, on a three-day official visit aimed at giving a new shape to future development cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany and holding bilateral talks between the two governments.
The visit was announced in a press release issued by the German Embassy on Saturday evening. According to the release, Kofler will lead a delegation from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Bangladesh is currently going through an economic transformation and preparing for its final graduation from the list of least developed countries (LDCs). Against that backdrop, the embassy said, the talks will focus on long-term resilience, economic adaptability and sustainable growth.
Germany is a long-standing development partner of Bangladesh. The release said Berlin wants to use these bilateral talks to further strengthen the joint partnership between the two countries.
The release added that, alongside LDC graduation, Bangladesh is facing changing development needs, so the talks will move beyond traditional assistance frameworks and focus on new areas.
During the visit, Dr Kofler will take part in political dialogue. She will also visit various development projects run in Chattogram so that progress on the ground can be seen directly.
While in Dhaka, she will also join the 'German Reunification Day' celebration hosted by the German Embassy. The day commemorates the historic reunification of East and West Germany in 1990 after decades of division.
Senior government officials from Bangladesh and Germany, representatives of civil society, members of the diplomatic corps, and cultural and media personalities are expected to attend the event.
The embassy release said the visit highlights Germany's continued commitment to supporting Bangladesh's sustainable development.
Officials believe the three-day visit and bilateral talks could produce new decisions and a joint outline for the future shape of development cooperation between the two countries.
