CAIRO, EGYPT: Bangladesh embassy in Cairo of Egypt is known as three-man mission -- an ambassador, a counselor and a first secretary (labor).

But, currently, the embassy is a two-man mission as the post of the Ambassador has been vacant for the last five months.

Counselor Shafiqur Rahman has been working as an acting ambassador (chargé d’affaires). Another member, Zubaida Mannan, of the two-man mission has been working as the first secretary.

Bangladesh embassy in Cairo was established on August 20, 1973 during the tenure of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Egypt supported Bangladesh during the War of Liberation in 1971 from the core of heart. The two countries also worked together in the OIC, NAM, D-8 and AMD but no remarkable results came out.

Though, these two countries have a long good diplomatic relationship, it has no reflection in the economy or internal affairs but right now, Dhaka and Cairo none has an ambassador in their missions.

The last ambassador of Egypt in Bangladesh was Mahmoud Izzat, dean of diplomatic core, who has a scandal of selling a duty-free Range Rover car to a businessman in Dhaka. This scandal has a negative reflection on the Egypt-Bangladesh diplomatic relationship.

Wahidur Rahman, who was deployed as Ambassador to Cairo, retired from service in 2014.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Muhammad Ali Sarkar has been appointed to Egypt embassy and is waiting to join.

Though Bangladesh has diplomat relationship with 36 African countries out of 54, it has embassies in nine countries only.

Cairo embassy maintains diplomat relationship with Niger and Somalia while Lebanon embassy is maintaining relationship with Cyprus.

Acting envoy Shafiqur Rahman told Banglanews that they are ready to welcome the new envoy in Cairo embassy.

BDST: 1827 HRS, JAN 19, 2017
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