<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero has announced that the South American country will open an embassy in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The decision follows Bangladesh’s overwhelming support for Lionel Messi and the Argentina team playing in the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022, reports MercoPress, a south Atlantic news agency, on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Bangladesh has always had a die-hard Argentina fanbase, but during this Qatar World Cup, they grabbed global attention by displaying their immense passion. It all began when a video of ecstatic Bangladeshi supporters cheering Messi’s goal against Mexico was posted by the official FIFA Twitter account.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The tale of Bangladesh and Argentina quickly went viral, and started trending on the internet. The Argentine media also covered it. Later, the official Twitter account of Argentina’s national football team tweeted about Bangladesh with the following message: “Thank you for supporting our team!! They are crazy like us!”</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Argentines joined the media and journalists in expressing their gratitude for Bangladesh on social media. As a reciprocation for Bangladesh’s undying love for the Argentine football team, an Argentine fan group for the Bangladesh national cricket team was created on social media.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The MercoPress report quoted Argentine Foreign Minister Cafiero saying he will visit Bangladesh next year to finalise the proposal after participating in the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit in India.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In August this year, Cafiero met with his Bangladeshi counterpart, AK Abdul Momen, to promote bilateral cooperation and agreed to “widen potential for trade growth.”</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they seek to explore bilateral relations, mainly in the commercial aspect, and to diversify trade through opening an embassy in Bangladesh, as per the media report.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Last year, Argentina exported products – mostly wheat, corn, and by-products of soybeans – worth USD 876 million to Bangladesh, a record high that resulted in a USD 862 million trade surplus for the South American nation.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In July, Argentina informed Bangladesh that the South American country is open to exporting soybean, beef and fertilizer to Bangladesh. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>