A high-level delegation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) held a meeting with representatives of the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI) at the BNP’s Gulshan office on Sunday morning.

The meeting began at 11:00am and focused on IRI’s ongoing activities and future plans aimed at strengthening and sustaining Bangladesh’s democratic progress.

The two sides exchanged views on various issues related to advancing democracy in Bangladesh, strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring greater public participation.

They also discussed potential areas for future cooperation, including sharing experiences and working jointly in various fields of democratic development.

The BNP delegation was led by Md. Ismail Jabiullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Administration, with the rank of a minister.

Others present from the BNP included Mahdi Amin, Adviser to the Prime Minister on the Ministries of Education; Primary and Mass Education; Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment; and Labour and Employment, as well as spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office; Barrister Johorat Adib Chowdhury MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Mahmuda Habiba MP.

Representing IRI were Senior Director Sonja Glockle, Resident Programme Director John Fluharty, and Technical Advisers Amitabh Ghosh and Ruqsona Haque.