The Mayor of Salisbury was proud to attend the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum in Bangladesh last week

The Mayor of Salisbury, Cllr Atiqul Hoque, represented our modern medieval City at the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum on the 13-14 September 2023 in Dhaka, Bangladesh; a country which has a unique connection to Salisbury.

The invitation came from the Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), Lord Marland of Odstock.

The prestigious Forum was opened by The Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, alongside senior Ministers, and industry leaders from across the 56 Commonwealth member nations.

The City of Salisbury has a unique link with Bangladesh spanning back to 1972 where the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Edward Heath, acknowledged Bangladesh as a free independent country which led to other European and Commonwealth nations recognising the country of Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s induction into the Commonwealth. Sir Edward Heath lived in the Arundells, a beautiful Grade II listed house located in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, and a plaque of appreciation still resides there today.

Cllr Atiqul Hoque, who is the first British Bangladeshi Mayor of Salisbury, met the Bangladesh Prime Minister and conveyed the connection Salisbury has with their country. The Mayor was delighted to hear that the Prime Minister will do her upmost best to visit Salisbury on her next visit to the UK.