The Dutch ambassador to Bangladesh yesterday expressed satisfaction over the government’s security measures in response to the recent militant attacks in Dhaka and Kishoreganj. “We are confident that the government is making progress in securing the country,” Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere said after a meeting with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at his secretariat in Dhaka. “We have to talk about security, the whole world has to talk about it,” said the envoy. “One thing I particularly appreciate is that the government is raising awareness among the public, because you cannot fight this battle alone,” she said. Cuelenaere also praised the progress made in worker safety in the garment sector after the Rana Plaza building collapse that took the lives of more than 1,100 in April 2013. “My country is happy with the progress that Bangladesh made in the RMG sector. That is also a reason why my minister is coming to Bangladesh again. I think this is the third or fourth time she is coming here,” Cuelenaere said. The Dutch government is going to organise a conference on sustainable sourcing in the Netherlands next month to discuss more responsible business behaviour in sourcing of garments by the stakeholders. “You have made tremendous progress. We think that it is important to keep that progress going,” she said. The minister said militancy is not a challenge for Bangladesh alone, it is a global challenge. Ahmed said Lilianne Ploumen, minister for foreign trade and development cooperation of the Netherlands, is also scheduled to visit Bangladesh next month to discuss the safety and compliance issues in the garment sector. The Netherlands is a major export destination for Bangladesh, particularly for garment items. In fiscal 2015-16, Bangladesh exported goods worth $845.92 million, of which $659.55 million was garment items, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau. In fiscal 2014-15, Bangladesh’s export to the Netherlands was $840.34 million, the data said. Bangladesh imports goods worth nearly $141 million from the Netherlands in a year.
