Newly appointed Romanian Ambassador Vasile Sofineti said this when he presented his credentials to President Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban yesterday.

The envoy said Romania will also increase educational exchange programmes for the students of Bangladesh in Romania.

Iajuddin thanked the Romanian government for recognising Bangladesh just after independence in 1972 and termed the relations between the two countries as excellent.

He also hailed Romania for joining the European Union and hoped that Romania would play a greater role in increasing trade facilities for Bangladesh with the EU.

Underlining the need for enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries, he said the existing bilateral trade between the two countries is not significant. "There is a great scope of widening the volume of trade between the two countries," he said.

Inajuddin suggested exchanging visits of business delegations between the two countries and sought Romanian investment in Bangladesh as a very congenial investment atmosphere is now prevailing here.

He said Romania might import world class pharmaceuticals, garments, melamine, ceramic and leather goods from Bangladesh at very competitive prices. "Both the countries should explore all the avenues of cooperation for the mutual benefits," he added.

Iajuddin offered Romania to utilise Bangladeshi skilled and unskilled manpower for its development.

The president stressed the need for people-to-people contact for further enhancing bilateral relations and requested the Romanian government through the envoy to open a full-fledged embassy in Dhaka.

He underscored the importance of increasing student-teacher exchange programmes between the two countries.