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Bangladesh and Malaysia held bilateral talks in Putrajaya on Monday with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim leading their respective sides.
A wide range of issues, covering ICT, energy, infrastructure, manpower, halal industry, agro-processing, education, skills development, defence, digital economy, semiconductors and other high-value sectors, were discussed at the meeting held at Perdana Putra, the office of the Malaysian Prime Minister.
The Rohingya crisis and regional cooperation also came up for discussion.
After the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation was signed in the presence of the prime ministers of the two countries.
In addition, a document on cooperation in research and capacity building in counter-terrorism and a bilateral investment-related document were exchanged. The foreign ministers of the two countries exchanged the documents.
Later, Tarique Rahman and Anwar Ibrahim spoke at a joint press conference.
The Bangladesh delegation included Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Power and Energy Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Finance and Planning Affairs Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Education Adviser Mahdi Amin, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and other senior officials.
Following the press conference, Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of the Bangladesh delegation will attend a state luncheon hosted by Anwar Ibrahim at his official residence, Seri Perdana Complex.
Renowned Malaysian artistes are expected to perform cultural programmes during the luncheon, including songs in both Bangla and Malay, reflecting the close friendship between the two nations
The bilateral talks followed a one-on-one meeting between Tarique Rahman and Anwar Ibrahim, aimed at further strengthening the close relations between the two countries and deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The closed-door meeting began around 9:30am local time at Perdana Putra, the office of the Malaysian Prime Minister.
The meeting marks Tarique Rahman's first official bilateral engagement with a foreign head of government since taking office and is a key event of his maiden overseas visit as prime minister.
Earlier in the morning, Tarique Rahman arrived at the Perdana Putra with his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, around 9:00am local time.
He was accorded a warm red-carpet welcome by Anwar Ibrahim, highlighting the importance Malaysia attaches to the visit.
Anwar and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, warmly received the Bangladesh Prime Minister and exchanged greetings before the formal ceremony began.
Tarique Rahman was then escorted along a red carpet to the ceremonial square, where a smartly-turnout contingent of the Malaysian Armed Forces presented a guard of honour.
The national anthems of Bangladesh and Malaysia were played as the two prime ministers stood side by side during the ceremony.
After inspecting the guard of honour, Anwar Ibrahim introduced members of his Cabinet and senior government officials to the Bangladesh Prime Minister. Tarique Rahman, in turn, introduced the members of his delegation to his Malaysian counterpart.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on a two-day official visit.
