Meetings between Bangladesh Army Chief and the Canadian Side

Student and Other Visa Facilitation and Expanded Defense Cooperation in focus during Meetings between Bangladesh Army Chief and the Canadian Side

Ottawa, October 23, 2024 – General Waker-Uz-Zaman, OSP, SGP, psc, Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh, was received today by H.E. Mr. Ajit Singh, Director of the Privy Council Office of Canada and High Commissioner-designate of Canada to Bangladesh, upon his arrival in Ottawa. The discussion focused on exploring new horizons for enhancing the Bangladesh-Canada relationship in multifarious aspects. Both the Army Chief and the High Commissioner-designate were forthcoming about addressing visa-related issues for all Bangladeshi citizens.

During the visit, Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh, met with Lieutenant-General Stephen R. Kelsey, CMM, CD, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada, and The Honourable Salma Zahid MP, Vice-Chair of the Canada-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship Group and Member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, in Ottawa.

The Honourable Salma Zahid, MP, met with General Waker-Uz-Zaman in the morning of 23 October 2024 and discussed areas of mutual interests. In particular, General Waker-Uz-Zaman highlighted the importance of facilitating and expediting student visas for Bangladeshi students as well as visas for both serving and former military officials. He highlighted the interim Government’s priority of youth development and sought Canada’s assistance in this regard by facilitating more student visas citing the mutual benefits for both the countries. Salma Zahid acknowledged the challenges in this regard due to Canada’s existing housing shortage. She encouraged Bangladeshi students to apply to designated institutions in Canada for expeditious visa processing and reaffirmed her commitment to finding solutions to address the current limitations on foreign student admissions.

The exploration of joint collaboration in educational exchange programs and the potential signing of an MoU between Canadian and Bangladeshi universities were also discussed. In addition, They discussed opportunities for cooperation in agriculture and infrastructure development. General Waker-Uz-Zaman proposed collaboration to address Canada’s housing crisis. In addition, the Army Chief mentioned  Bangladesh’s readiness in assisting Canada in its healthcare sector, including through providing caregivers to Canada.

In a separate meeting with Lieutenant-General Kelsey, General Waker-Uz-Zaman advocated for streamlining visa processing for both serving and retired Bangladeshi military personnel. He emphasized the need for a systematic approach for visa issuance and proposed to address individual cases if there are queries through bilateral consultations without generalizing or stereotyping.

The discussions also paved the way for enhanced defense cooperation, particularly in expanding training exchanges between military institutions. The Chief of Army Staff emphasized increasing collaboration through officer exchanges at the National Defence College (NDC) and staff colleges, aimed at strengthening the professional development of military personnel from both nations.

Her Excellency Ms. Nahida Sobhan, High Commissioner for Bangladesh to Canada, participated in both the meetings along with Brigadier General S M Asadul Haque,ndc, psc and Major Md Shoaib Rifat Aumy, psc, AC.