Building on the existing excellent relations, Bangladesh and Ireland have scope to work together to strengthen the bilateral ties tapping the potential of cooperation and collaboration in broad areas, said newly appointed Honorary Consul of Ireland in Dhaka Masud Jamil Khan.

"Bangladesh is a very fast growing country and Ireland is a very developed and educated country. Both sides can work very well together," he told UNB in an interview on Sunday.

He said Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney TD is scheduled to arrive here on March 17 and will have a number of meetings to discuss ways to strengthen the relations.

"We are honored that Minister Simon is coming to Bangladesh. This has also been supported by my Ambassador (Ambassador of Ireland to India Kevin Kelly) in Delhi. I think this is a long overdue visit," Masud said.

Coveney is likely to meet Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun and State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu.

He will also attend a reception marking St Patrick's Day, the National Day of Ireland and the official opening of 'the Honorary Consulate of Ireland in Bangladesh' during his visit.

The Irish minister is likely to attend a dialogue on Bangladesh-Ireland relations during his stay in Dhaka.

Bangladesh and Ireland have been enjoying excellent bilateral relations since Ireland's recognition of Bangladesh in early 1972.

"This is the 1st time Ireland has appointed someone in Bangladesh. I am proud and excited to work with both sides to enhance the relations," said Masud, who is also Cosmos Group Deputy Managing Director.

Responding to a question, he said during the last 26 years the exports of Bangladesh to Ireland have increased at an annualized rate of 16.3%, from $6.89M in 1995 to $347M in 2021. "So, it has been a big jump."

Masud said Ireland is now seen as one of Europe's leading tech hubs, and it is also home to the EMEA headquarters for a large array of big tech companies, including Hubspot and Indeed.

"Ireland could take skilled professionals from Bangladesh in the IT sector. Bangladesh can also become an IT hub with the support of Ireland. Bangladesh has a young population and is highly trainable," he said.

Masud said both countries are doing well in the pharmaceutical sector. "We can definitely look into this," he said, adding that garments are already being exported from Bangladesh to Ireland and it is increasing every year.

He said concentrated milk is being exported from Ireland to Bangladesh. "We can bring cows from Ireland and we can bring them here to breed. Malt extract and scrap iron is also being brought to Bangladesh from Ireland. These are the areas we can explore immediately," Masud suggested.

He said there is huge potential to have collaboration in the education sector and two sides can explore opportunities to set up branches of Ireland's educational institutions here.

"Ireland is a nice place to study," he said, adding that there are some top ranking universities in Ireland.

Sharing his feelings over his appointment, Masud said this is the first time that Ireland has appointed someone in Bangladesh.

"I am proud and excited to work with both sides to enhance the relations. I think we can work together in the Pharma sector. Both countries are very strong in pharmaceuticals," Masud said.

"This is a great feeling and very hard to describe. Definitely, this is a feeling of happiness and feeling of excitement and emotion, something I have been trying to achieve," Masud said.

Referring to his father Honorary Consul of Romania Enayetullah Khan, he said he also grew up in that culture.

"I always had a wish that I could become Honorary Consul of a country and work towards enhancing ties with Bangladesh," he said, hoping that he can be successful in his assignment.