By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Jul 20 (IANS): Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen has appealed to Spain to urge the international community to impose economic sanctions on Myanmar so that the country abides by its commitment for repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Momen expressed gratitude for the Spanish government's continued support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue.

Outgoing Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Alvaro de Salas Gimenez de Azcarate said Spain will need seasonal workers for agriculture in summer season.

Momen requested the outgoing envoy to consider employing seasonal workers from Bangladesh as they have expertise in agriculture sector.

Reiterating Bangladesh's commitment to combat the devastating effects of climate change, Momen recalled the successful visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the COP25 in Madrid in December 2019.

Momen envoy raised his government's efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and also apprised the ambassador of Bangladesh's timely and effective policies in this regard.

The outgoing Spanish Ambassador paid a farewell courtesy call to Momen on Sunday afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh here.

Mentioning the existing investment-friendly schemes of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh foreign minister called for more investments from Spain as well as sharing expertise, especially in energy and tourism sector with Bangladesh.

Momen mentioned that Bangladesh has exported 6.5 million PPEs to USA as well as supplied medicines, such as remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine to many countries during the pandemic. Spain can rely on Bangladesh for PPE and other pharmaceutical products related to prevention and treatment of COVID-19, he said.