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Message from the Ambassador
Luis Tejada Ambassador of Spain to Bangladesh (left, on the right is the president of Bangladesh).
I would like to thank "The Financial Express" newspaper for giving me this opportunity to convey this short message in the name of my government. This October the 12th we commemorate the day of "Hispanidad" a concept that alludes to the Spanish culture in its wider sense, a language and a set of feelings and perceptions that came into being with the fusion of Spain and the new world of the time, America.
Because it was precisely on a 12th of October, in 1492, that Christopher Columbus discovered America, the "West Indies". He was not looking for the new continent; he was looking for a fastest passage to the Eastern Indies. Since then, Spain established a strong and fraternal link with Latin America that lasts to our days.
But this concept of "Hispanidad" is not a fixed and immutable one. It is a dynamic idea. Through its embassies, cultural institutions, civil society and private firms, Spain tries to share its culture and moral values with other countries and peoples beyond our traditional sphere of presence and influence.
Our relations with Bangladesh are relatively recent, as correspond to such a young country. Although we established diplomatic relations already in 1972, we did not open our embassy in Dhaka until 2007. And there are already significant links among us, although these should be fortified and enlarged in the coming years.
Perhaps the field in which the dynamism of the Bangladeshi people is more manifest is the economic and commercial one. Bangladesh has been growing at a 6 or 7% every year for a long time now, in good part due to its capacity to expand its garment industries. Spain has a longstanding trade deficit with Bangladesh. This is of course not a negative issue for us, as it translates the openness of Bangladesh to the investment of our textile and garment companies, which are consequently able to compete in the global market and export to Spain and many other countries. Furthermore, this ability to compete our firms has preserved many jobs in Spain in this period of economic crisis.
Which is our common economic challenge for the future? The textile and garment industry will continue to grow in Bangladesh and the Spanish firms will surely continue to come and invest in this country. But the Bangladeshi economy will need more diversification and technological upgrading to maintain and even increase its growth. And the Spanish companies have made a substantial contribution to the modernisation of Latin America in sectors as key as banking, telecommunications, civil engineering or transport infrastructure. This part of Asia and, more precisely, big and dynamic countries as Bangladesh will be the next frontline for our companies. I think that there is a strong potentiality for stronger and richer economic relations among our two countries.
But not everything of our relations is about trade and investment. Culture is perhaps even more important to Bangladesh and Spain, as culture and language form the main basis of both nationalities. Bengali and Spanish are both among the most spoken languages in the world. In this light, our challenge is to increase the cultural relations between our populations, cultural industries and academic institutions. This year a strong cultural partnership has been launched. The Spanish textile firm, Inditex, has decided to fund a section of Spanish studies within the Institute of Modern Languages of Dhaka University. Two public universities in Spain, La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, have concluded an agreement with the Dhaka University and assigned four professors for the above purpose. This unique form of public-private cooperation for cultural activities should constitute an example for other cultural activities of Spain in Bangladesh. Our firms obtain many benefits from the creativity and hard work of the Bangladeshi people. Some of these benefits must revert to the creation of "cultural wealth" in our two countries.
I would not like to finish these words without a reference to two other very fundamental aspects of our relations. Our development cooperation is very active in Bangladesh. We work through NGOs as Cives Mundi, Plan International, AIDA and DORP. Most of the projects are devoted to strengthening women´s rights and their participation in the social and economic life, and to improve the nutrition of children in poor areas. And in these fields we work also with international agencies and organisations, as the GIZ, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and FIDA. Our cooperation has been increasing in the recent years, in spite of a sustained effort to reduce our public budget deficit. This is the best demonstration of our commitment with the future of Bangladesh and of our solidarity with its people.
And, of course, we cannot but recognise the contribution of the Bangladeshi migrants to the Spanish economy. There are around 12.500 Bangladeshi citizens in Spain. They constitute a group of well-integrated persons that carry with them the seriousness of their work and the entrepreneurial spirit that characterises the people of Bangladesh. Spain recognises and values their effort because our country was for a long time also a country of migrants and, thus, we know well the impact of these diaspora communities to the economic and social modernisation of a country.
Culture, investment and trade, international cooperation and migration are the mainstays of our present relations and, at the same time, the seeds for a future expansion that our two governments should promote.
Luis Tejada
Ambassador of Spain
to Bangladesh
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.co...ate=2011-10-12
Luis Tejada Ambassador of Spain to Bangladesh (left, on the right is the president of Bangladesh).
I would like to thank "The Financial Express" newspaper for giving me this opportunity to convey this short message in the name of my government. This October the 12th we commemorate the day of "Hispanidad" a concept that alludes to the Spanish culture in its wider sense, a language and a set of feelings and perceptions that came into being with the fusion of Spain and the new world of the time, America.
Because it was precisely on a 12th of October, in 1492, that Christopher Columbus discovered America, the "West Indies". He was not looking for the new continent; he was looking for a fastest passage to the Eastern Indies. Since then, Spain established a strong and fraternal link with Latin America that lasts to our days.
But this concept of "Hispanidad" is not a fixed and immutable one. It is a dynamic idea. Through its embassies, cultural institutions, civil society and private firms, Spain tries to share its culture and moral values with other countries and peoples beyond our traditional sphere of presence and influence.
Our relations with Bangladesh are relatively recent, as correspond to such a young country. Although we established diplomatic relations already in 1972, we did not open our embassy in Dhaka until 2007. And there are already significant links among us, although these should be fortified and enlarged in the coming years.
Perhaps the field in which the dynamism of the Bangladeshi people is more manifest is the economic and commercial one. Bangladesh has been growing at a 6 or 7% every year for a long time now, in good part due to its capacity to expand its garment industries. Spain has a longstanding trade deficit with Bangladesh. This is of course not a negative issue for us, as it translates the openness of Bangladesh to the investment of our textile and garment companies, which are consequently able to compete in the global market and export to Spain and many other countries. Furthermore, this ability to compete our firms has preserved many jobs in Spain in this period of economic crisis.
Which is our common economic challenge for the future? The textile and garment industry will continue to grow in Bangladesh and the Spanish firms will surely continue to come and invest in this country. But the Bangladeshi economy will need more diversification and technological upgrading to maintain and even increase its growth. And the Spanish companies have made a substantial contribution to the modernisation of Latin America in sectors as key as banking, telecommunications, civil engineering or transport infrastructure. This part of Asia and, more precisely, big and dynamic countries as Bangladesh will be the next frontline for our companies. I think that there is a strong potentiality for stronger and richer economic relations among our two countries.
But not everything of our relations is about trade and investment. Culture is perhaps even more important to Bangladesh and Spain, as culture and language form the main basis of both nationalities. Bengali and Spanish are both among the most spoken languages in the world. In this light, our challenge is to increase the cultural relations between our populations, cultural industries and academic institutions. This year a strong cultural partnership has been launched. The Spanish textile firm, Inditex, has decided to fund a section of Spanish studies within the Institute of Modern Languages of Dhaka University. Two public universities in Spain, La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, have concluded an agreement with the Dhaka University and assigned four professors for the above purpose. This unique form of public-private cooperation for cultural activities should constitute an example for other cultural activities of Spain in Bangladesh. Our firms obtain many benefits from the creativity and hard work of the Bangladeshi people. Some of these benefits must revert to the creation of "cultural wealth" in our two countries.
I would not like to finish these words without a reference to two other very fundamental aspects of our relations. Our development cooperation is very active in Bangladesh. We work through NGOs as Cives Mundi, Plan International, AIDA and DORP. Most of the projects are devoted to strengthening women´s rights and their participation in the social and economic life, and to improve the nutrition of children in poor areas. And in these fields we work also with international agencies and organisations, as the GIZ, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and FIDA. Our cooperation has been increasing in the recent years, in spite of a sustained effort to reduce our public budget deficit. This is the best demonstration of our commitment with the future of Bangladesh and of our solidarity with its people.
And, of course, we cannot but recognise the contribution of the Bangladeshi migrants to the Spanish economy. There are around 12.500 Bangladeshi citizens in Spain. They constitute a group of well-integrated persons that carry with them the seriousness of their work and the entrepreneurial spirit that characterises the people of Bangladesh. Spain recognises and values their effort because our country was for a long time also a country of migrants and, thus, we know well the impact of these diaspora communities to the economic and social modernisation of a country.
Culture, investment and trade, international cooperation and migration are the mainstays of our present relations and, at the same time, the seeds for a future expansion that our two governments should promote.
Luis Tejada
Ambassador of Spain
to Bangladesh
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.co...ate=2011-10-12
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