Bangladeshi robotics team secures Greece visas after diplomatic push

The Bangladesh robotics team, set to represent the country at the FIRST Global Challenge 2024 in Athens, Greece, successfully obtained their visas on September 20 following a previous denial by The Embassy of Greece in the New Delhi Consular Office.

Due to diplomatic efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh, the breakthrough came when the Greek authorities agreed to re-evaluate the visas provided the passports were resubmitted in person. Shamsun Nahar, a volunteer, personally took the team's passports to New Delhi, where the Greek Embassy processed them. By September 20, the visas were approved, and the passports were returned to Bangladesh the following day, as per a press release by Tech Academy.

The team's visa approval marks a positive turnaround after their applications were originally denied on September 13, with the reason cited as "unreliable" information regarding the purpose of their stay. This initial rejection had sparked concern, as the team learned of the decision on September 17, only days before their scheduled departure on September 24.

In a press release, the team expressed their gratitudes for the diplomatic efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh for successfully securing visas and acknowledged the support from the international community. The team also acknowledged Areebah, Rashad, Juven Wahid, Dina Hossain, an advisory board member of Tech Academy and two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A.F.M. Zahid-ul-Islam and Kazi Russel Pervez for their help and support.

The team's mentor, Abdullah Al Sharfat, said, "From the whole team getting rejected for visas to the whole team getting visas in a day, I can't thank the interim government enough for processing this so quickly. Thanks also to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh embassy staff in New Delhi. Now we hope to do well in Greece."

Consisting of seven high school students and four adult mentors from The Tech Academy, a Bangladeshi innovation lab, the team has been a regular participant in the FIRST Global Challenge since 2017, including a world championship title in 2020.

The FIRST Global Challenge 2024 is scheduled to take place in Athens from September 26 to 29, bringing together teams from around 190 countries to solve problems using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills.