[Graphic in PDF & Word format] COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION EN C/06/20
Brussels, 20 January 2006
5537/06 (Presse 20)
European Union Visit by Troika of Regional Directors Dhaka, Bangladesh, 23-25 January 2006
Press Release
A European Union (EU) Troika will travel to Dhaka from 23 to 25 January 2006. This will be the first such visit. The EU has long-standing relations with Bangladesh, including through the 2001 Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development.
The Troika is due to have meetings with representatives of the government, political parties, civil society, as well as the international diplomatic community resident in Bangladesh.
The European Union is one of Bangladesh’s closest international partners and remains committed to further developing its constructive relationship with the country. The visit will be the occasion for discussions covering a broad range of issues, including the next general election, fundamentalist extremism, the state of governance, corruption, and human rights.
The Troika will be led by Mr Nikolaus Scherk, Director for Asia Pacific at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing the Presidency of the EU. He will be accompanied by Mr James Moran, Acting Director for Asia, representing the European Commission, Mr Pekka Metso, Director for Asia and Oceania, representing the incoming Finnish Presidency of the EU, and Mr Michael Swann representing the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The Troika carries a mandate to speak on behalf of all 25 Member States of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
