Bangladesh Eyes Closer Ties With ASEAN

By Ahmad Aidil Syukri Hamzah and Muhammad Fawwaz Thaqif Nor Afandi

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Bangladesh is looking to deepen its multifaceted engagement with ASEAN, targeting trade diversification and increased investment.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said Dhaka regards the grouping as an important economic partner.

“We have a substantial trade with ASEAN, even as a non-member and non-partner. There is some investment from ASEAN countries, but I would say that the scope is much, much greater.

“That is one of the areas from which we expect to benefit,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings held here. 

Hossain also emphasised the importance of broadening cooperation into areas such as education, culture and people-to-people connectivity, in addition to the economy and labour mobility.

“There is the matter of cultural exchanges, which we can, of course, pursue bilaterally these days,” he said.

He expressed confidence in Malaysia’s leadership as the current ASEAN Chair, noting the warm and longstanding ties between the two countries.

Hossain added that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also share a strong personal rapport.

He reiterated Bangladesh’s aspiration to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the regional bloc as part of its broader regional cooperation agenda.

The country is already a party to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which provides a formal mechanism to enable closer engagement with the bloc through bilateral and multilateral platforms.

ASEAN and Bangladesh have enjoyed upward economic relations with two-way trade reaching US$6.16 billion in 2023-24.

Bangladesh, the second largest economy in South Asia, is a significant player in the Asia-Pacific region, ranking 35th globally in nominal terms and 25th by purchasing power parity.

-- BERNAMA