Diplomatic Desk:
Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Linus Ragnar Weeks paid a courtesy call on Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday (August 11, 2026).
During the meeting, various issues of mutual interest including security, prevention of irregular migration, trade expansion, expansion of technical education and increasing the scope of technical assistance between the two countries, and a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis were discussed in detail.
During the meeting, the Home Minister described Sweden as an important development partner of Bangladesh and said that the current government is attaching special importance to creating skilled and world-class human resources through modernization of technical education. To this end, plans and projects are being taken to establish new technical educational institutions in different parts of the country. He said that the demand for skilled manpower, including caregivers, in the European market, including Sweden, is increasing day by day. The minister expects close cooperation from the Swedish government in improving the quality of technical education in Bangladesh, strengthening training, and exporting skilled human resources.
During the discussion, the Swedish ambassador said that Sweden has a ‘Bilateral Cooperation Strategy’ with Bangladesh alone in South Asia. He said that Sweden’s trade relations with Bangladesh are gradually deepening and Swedish investment in various potential sectors, including ready-made garments and healthcare, is increasing steadily. He further said that currently, about 10,000 Bangladeshis are staying in Sweden, a large part of whom are students.
Expressing concern about irregular migration in Sweden, the ambassador said that some innocent people are being lured by unscrupulous human trafficking rings and are falling victim to irregular migration. In response, the minister said that the Ministry of Home Affairs is taking very strict and effective steps to prevent human trafficking. The main reason for this is the expectation of a better life and the temptation of smugglers. To eliminate this problem, multifaceted activities are being conducted nationwide in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), including raising public awareness.
Terming the Rohingya crisis as a major threat to the security of the entire region, the Minister said that Sweden, as the co-chair of the Rohingya Donor Group, has an important role in keeping the issue in the international community’s attention. At this time, the Minister requested to increase the amount of assistance to improve the quality of life of the displaced Rohingyas. The Swedish Ambassador attached special importance to the safe repatriation and rehabilitation of the Rohingyas and reiterated Sweden’s interest in working on the education and overall security of Rohingya women and children. At this time, the Minister stated that dignified and permanent repatriation to Myanmar is the only solution to the Rohingya crisis.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant representatives of the Swedish Embassy in Bangladesh were present at the meeting.
