Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque received the Rio Branco Order from the Ambassador of Brazil in Bangladesh, Mr. Joao Tabajara de Oliveira Junior today (on 11 October 2018 at 1700 hrs). The Brazilian Ambassador along with other officials from the Brazilian embassy handed over the crest of “Rio Branco Order” and a certificate at a simple ceremony held at the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Senior officials of the Ministry attended the award giving ceremony.
In his short remarks, the Ambassador of Brazil noted that the order of Rio Branco (Ordem de Rio Branco) is an honorific order of Brazil instituted by the Decree 51.697 of 05 February 1963. It was named in honor of the Brazilian diplomat Jose Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco, considered the patron of the Brazil’s diplomacy. The President of Brazil serves as the Grand Master of the Order while the Minister of External Relations is the order’s Chancellor. The Brazilian Ambassador noted that Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque earns this Honour for his extraordinary service to his nation in the diplomatic arena. The envoy said that in his capacity as the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mr. Haque immensely contributed to the expansion of Bangladesh-Brazil bilateral ties. He successfully led the Bangladesh delegation to the first ever Bangladesh Brazil bilateral consultations held in Dhaka in March 2017 which laid the foundation for all subsequent substantive engagements between the two countries, he added.
Foreign Secretary appreciated the role played by Brazil in the global diplomacy. He said that on many issues Bangladesh and Brazil have taken a common stance in the past and this tradition should continue. The bilateral trade between the two countries which is in the vicinity of one billion dollar holds great potential to expand further. The millions of Bangladesh’s soccer lovers have touched the hearts of the Brazilians through their passionate support to the Brazilian team during the FIFA World Cup. Foreign Secretary in his brief remarks also thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for entrusting him with the responsibility of serving as the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh which earned him today’s honour.
