Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has said after five decades, Bangladesh has emerged as one of the most prospective partners of Poland in South Asia.
He has also sought deeper cooperation in the economic, political, cultural, and scientific domains with Bangladesh.
"Both Polish and Bangladeshi economies have witnessed dynamic development and a steady increase in mutual trade exchanges," said Zbigniew Rau in a recent letter to his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen.
The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Bangladesh marks an important milestone in our bilateral relationship, he said.
On this occasion, the Polish foreign minister extended his heartfelt congratulations to Foreign Minister Dr Momen and all citizens of Bangladesh who have contributed to the strengthening of cooperation over the past half-century.
Poland was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Bangladesh.
"I believe that these solid foundations will translate into deeper cooperation in the economic, political, cultural and scientific domains," said Minister Rau.
Despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional political exchanges, the two countries need to stay together, he said.
"Therefore, Poland expressed its solidarity with the people of Bangladesh by donating over three million doses of Astra Zeneca vaccine.
"This gesture reflects the importance that Poland attaches to the relations with Bangladesh," said the Foreign Minister.
He hoped that in the years ahead, friendship between the two countries will continue to grow, serving the interests of both our countries and peoples.
The Polish foreign minister hoped to have a personal meeting with Dr Momen at a convenient time and conveyed his best wishes for good health and prosperity.
Others
On 18 January, the Indonesian parliament declared that it would be moving its capital from Jakarta to a new city called Nusantara on the island of Borneo. Jakarta alone currently hosts about 278 million people; about 60 percent of the total population of Indonesia.
High population density, high risks of flooding, depleting groundwater, economic redistribution as well as Jakarta's long-term viability as capital were among some of the reasons cited by the parliament leading to this decision.
At around the same time, the Egyptian government has also decided to build its new capital 45 kilometres east of Cairo; its current capital is strangled by often immovable traffic attributable to the very ministries and administrative buildings situated there. The conditions in Jakarta or Cairo feel eerily similar to that of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
According to the Global Liveability Index 2021, the 400-year-old capital city of Bangladesh was the 4th least hospitable city in the world. Dhaka is simultaneously the 6th most densely populated city in the world, while Jakarta or Cairo are not even among the top 10.
A capital city should ideally have a population of 6 to 7 million whereas Dhaka currently has a population of roughly 21.7 million people. The excessive population has a directly adverse effect on the environment, from polluting the water we drink to the very air that we and our children breathe in.Dhaka also faces gradually depleting groundwater (although not as bad as Jakarta yet), barely breathable air (AQI level consistently being among the worst in the world), polluted lifelines (rivers) beyond the hope of rescue and roads that seemingly remain clogged forever with traffic.
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