Outgoing Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Andre Carstens has praised Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus for his leadership during Bangladesh’s political transition over the past year.
Outgoing Charge D’Affaires Carstens met with Yunus for a farewell visit on Wednesday at the State Guest House Jamuna. He praised Yunus for his work on democratic reforms and for bringing the country together after the previous government was removed.
“People will remember you,” Carstens said, according to Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
The Dutch diplomat also welcomed the recently issued July Declaration, describing it as a key step in connecting the country’s historical legacy with the aspirations of the July uprising.
He thought Yunus’s election plan was “perfect”—a straight shot to getting the general election sorted. They also got into other big topics, like getting ready for that international conference on the Rohingya crisis happening in September.
The goal there is to figure out how to help the refugees on a human level while also dealing with the tricky politics of it all.
And then, get this: things got really personal. Carstens actually wrote a song about the July uprising and put his lyrics to George Harrison’s “Bangladesh” tune. He even had a video made and gave the whole thing to the chief adviser during the meeting. How about that?
The visit marked the conclusion of Carstens’ tenure in Dhaka, where he has overseen Dutch engagement in Bangladesh during a year of political change.
