Malaysia, Bangladesh Discuss Ways To Strengthen Bilateral Ties

By Shakir Husain

HYDERABAD, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Bangladesh have discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in employment, manpower, Islamic banking and trade, as well as Bangladesh’s aspirations for closer engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The discussions took place during a meeting between Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on the sidelines of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Tuesday.

“The two sides discussed strengthening cooperation in employment and manpower, Islamic banking, and bilateral relations, alongside Bangladesh’s interest in closer engagement with ASEAN,” the ministry, widely known as Wisma Putra, said in a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

“Malaysia looks forward to taking this close and brotherly relationship to greater heights through stronger ties and new avenues of cooperation,” it added.

Separately, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said the meeting provided an opportunity to review existing bilateral relations beyond expatriate issues, with particular focus on trade and investment, including the early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations.

Malaysia and Bangladesh held the first round of FTA talks in Dhaka last month and agreed to hold the next round in January.

Mohamad is leading Malaysia’s delegation to this year’s CHOGM and related meetings in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, from Nov 1 to 4.

-- BERNAMA