Speech by Secretary General of Migration Policy Mr. Patroklos Georgiadis at the Bangladesh Independence Day Celebration, Athens 2023
Speech by Secretary General of Migration Policy Mr. Patroklos Georgiadis at the celebration of the 52nd Independence Day of Bangladesh. March 21, 2023, Megaron Mousikis, Athens
Dear Ambassador, Dear Ahmed
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Minister and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum I would like to express our warmest wishes on the Independence and National Day of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
We recognize the long-standing friendship between the two countries and reaffirm our determination to strengthen cooperation in the fields of migration and mobility.
Acknowledging that legal movement of persons is a factor of economic, social and cultural development, our Ministers signed, on February 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding on migration and mobility. The MoU has been ratified by Law by the Hellenic Parliament and is aiming at:
- ensuring the needs of the national labor market, which cannot be covered by the existing available workforce (especially in the primary sector),
- regularising the status of Bangladeshi nationals already residing in Greece, before 9 February 2022,
- improving the operational cooperation of Greece with third countries of origin and
- achieving the operational cooperation in the fight against illegal migration and the return of illegally residing citizens of third countries to their countries of origin.
In particular, I would like to stress out our common understanding and cooperation to combatting trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling.
During the current period, the MoU is implemented with significant success, thanks to the fruitful cooperation of our Authorities with the Embassy of Bangladesh in Athens. We believe that this cooperation will be further developed, to the benefit of our countries.
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