Australian foreign minister due tomorrow
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne will arrive here tomorrow on a three-day official visit to attend Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Blue Economy ministerial meeting as well as to meet Bangladesh high-ups to address the Rohingya issue.
During the visit, Payne will travel to Cox’s Bazar where Australia has been a leading donor in providing humanitarian assistance for forcefully displaced Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh, a press release issued by Australian High Commission here said today.
The Australian foreign minister’s discussions with Bangladesh Government leaders will focus on countering violent extremism, growing trade and investment links, promoting the Australian education sector and addressing the Rohingya crisis, it added.
At the IORA Blue Economy Ministerial Conference, Payne who is also minister for women will highlight strategies for creating environmentally sustainable marine-based industries including fishing, aquaculture, tourism, shipping, oil and gas.
As an island continent, Australia recognises the importance of ocean health for economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, said the release.
Payne will announce establishment of the IORA Blue Carbon Hub, an Australian initiative located at the University of Western Australia in Perth, to promote the health of blue carbon ecosystems– mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses– to endorse coastal protection, food security and sustainable livelihoods.
This will be the first visit to Bangladesh by an Australian Foreign Minister since 1988 and first by a Cabinet Minister since 2006.
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