Bangladesh and Australia want to deepen economic cooperation
Bangladesh and Australia have expressed interest in deepening and widening the economic cooperation between the two countries in a shift from aid to trade relations as the South Asian nation will graduate from the least developed country (LDC) category by 2024.
The two countries will also look forward to ensuring that the Asia-Pacific region remains secure, open and prosperous.
They stressed the need for close collaboration to address common challenges and opportunities in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean regions, and bringing sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The consensus came at the fourth foreign office consultation between the two countries held virtually today.
Khondker M Talha, director general for East Asia and Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Bangladesh side while Gary Cowan, first assistant secretary of the North and South Asia Division at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, headed the Australian side.
Bangladesh High Commissioner in Canberra Sufiur Rahman and Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Jeremy Bruer also took part in the discussion.
Both sides stressed on greater engagement in agriculture, water resource management, power, energy and mineral resources, trade, investment, human resource development, ICT, defence and blue economy.
Presently, the bilateral trade between the two countries is worth about $2 billion but an enormous potential is still there to expand it further.
"We have tried to tell them that Bangladesh has become a land of opportunities and that they should change their mindset. The Australian side was convinced," a foreign ministry official told The Daily Star.
"We said trade and investment is what we need. That does not mean we don't want aid at all, but that should also be aligned to our national development priorities and should facilitate trade and investment," the official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.
The official also said Dhaka and Canberra can develop partnership on human resources development, especially on vocational training, curriculum development and training of teachers.
Australian High Commissioner Jeremy Bruer said Australia truly looks forward to a stronger economic cooperation as Bangladesh graduates from LDC status.
He said both countries enjoy excellent bilateral relations because of historical ties, people to people contact, shared values and common aspirations for peace, progress and prosperity.
A foreign ministry statement said Australia reaffirmed its commitment to support Bangladesh's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both sides laid emphasis on the need for early, voluntary, safe, and sustainable return of the Rohingyas and reintegration of the returnees into Myanmar society with international support.
Bangladesh stressed that if the Rohingyas could not be repatriated within a short span of time, it would have ramifications for the entire region and beyond.
Australia congratulated Bangladesh on the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country's independence.
Both countries also agreed to commemorate the 50th year of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022.
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