Bangladesh will open an embassy in Argentina, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said yesterday.

The decision comes four years after Argentina opened its mission in Bangladesh.

Overwhelmed by Bangladesh's support for the Argentine football team that won the FIFA World Cup 2022, Argentina reopened its embassy in Dhaka in February 2023, 45 years after it had closed it.

“The Argentine ambassador was very pleased and mentioned that, outside Argentina, Bangladesh is the biggest supporter of their team,” Khalilur told reporters after Argentina’s Ambassador Marcelo Carlos Cesa paid his maiden courtesy call on him at the foreign ministry.

“We plan to increase the content of our bilateral relations and trade in the future, specifically in agriculture, energy, and readymade garments. A team from our side will begin discussions with them by March,” added the minister.

He said both sides expressed optimism about taking bilateral ties to a new height under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

During the meeting, the ambassador congratulated the foreign minister on assuming office and conveyed greetings from the government of Argentina to the newly elected government of Bangladesh.

He said Argentina wants to further strengthen relations between the two countries. In response, the foreign minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s firm commitment to deepening the longstanding friendly ties between Dhaka and Buenos Aires.

The two sides also identified priority areas for enhanced cooperation, particularly in expanding bilateral trade with a focus on diversification of exports and imports.

They also discussed strengthening technical collaboration in agriculture, advancing sports cooperation through effective implementation of the existing memorandum of understanding on football, and exploring opportunities in energy trade and supply chain partnerships.

Increasing Bangladesh’s apparel exports to Argentina also featured prominently in the discussion.

The foreign minister proposed holding a multi-sectoral dialogue among relevant stakeholders to advance cooperation in a structured and result-oriented manner.

Earlier, Ambassador Cesa met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed, who highlighted the strong people-to-people bond between the two nations, particularly through football, and proposed structured cooperation in youth and women’s football development.