Photo: Collected
Bangladesh and the Netherlands have expressed their commitment to working jointly on water resources management. Joris van Bommel, the Netherlands ambassador to Bangladesh, made this commitment during a meeting with Water Resources Minister Md Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee at the Secretariat yesterday. State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad was present at the time.
The water resources minister called for cooperation between the two countries in the exchange of experience, education, technological cooperation, training to enhance professional skills, and research. He said the Netherlands is a trusted development partner of Bangladesh and that a very strong relationship exists between the two countries.
The state minister said that in 1977 Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Netherlands for technical cooperation in water resources management.
Ambassador Joris said Bangladesh and the Netherlands are both deltas and there are similarities between the two in topography. He said the Dutch government is interested in working on sustainable water resources management, river bank protection and erosion prevention in Bangladesh. The ambassador expressed his conviction that the role the Netherlands has been playing in Bangladesh’s socio-economic development will continue in the days ahead as well.
Water Resources Secretary Dr AKM Shahabuddin and Additional Secretary Moha Enamul Haque were present at the meeting.
