Bangladesh, Brunei detail ways of closer ties in Dhaka talks

Bangladesh and Brunei in their very first political dialogue have discussed the ways of strengthening the relations on all fronts - from culture to agriculture.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 9 Sept 2018, 03:36 PM
Updated : 9 Sept 2018, 03:36 PM

Brunei is a tiny Southeast Asian country but it has one of the world's highest standards of living due to oil and gas reserves.

About 16,000 Bangladeshis work there now and the number is expected to go up further, according to the foreign ministry.

Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque headed the Bangladesh delegation while Hajah Siti Norishan Haji Abdul Ghafor, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, led the Brunei side at the first-ever Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held on Sunday in Dhaka.

Both sides stressed regular exchange of visits, including at the highest level, as well as regular contacts and interaction between leaders and officials, to steer bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, major areas of bilateral cooperation were discussed, the foreign ministry said.

Both sides agreed to sign three finalised MoUs - MoU on Cultural and Arts Cooperation, MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Youth and Sports and MoU on Scientific and Technical Cooperation in Agriculture.

Brunei has also agreed for an “Exchange of Notes” for the exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passports as well as expediting the proposed draft MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Fisheries and Air Services Agreement by Bangladesh.

Both sides expected that all the finalised instruments may be signed during a top visit likely to be scheduled in 2019.

Bangladesh briefed Brunei on humanitarian assistance and repatriation initiatives for 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingya people whom it has temporarily sheltered.

Both countries expressed concern about the plight of the Rohingya and stressed a peaceful and durable resolution of the crisis.

Brunei appreciated Bangladesh’s humanitarian gesture, generous assistance, efforts towards safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya. Bangladesh also appreciated Brunei’s humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya.

Bilateral trade also received a major focus in the consultation.

Two-way trade has shown an upward trend in the recent years but both sides agreed that trade volume was far less than potentials.

In order to increase bilateral trade, both countries emphasised on the need to explore new areas and to consider the possibility of preferential arrangement and regular consultative mechanism.

Brunei has agreed to positively consider working with Bangladesh in various sectors, such as in halal food, oil, gas, power generation, textiles, leather and agro-based industries.

Bangladesh apprised Brunei of the robust economic growth in the last decade due to accelerated industrialisation and economic activities, which led to progressive increase in demand for energy.

Given the growing demand of energy in Bangladesh, both countries agreed to work on a MoU on G2G cooperation involving the private sectors in the field of energy and power to explore the possibility of technical cooperation in the exploration of oil and natural gas; cooperation in human resource development and capacity building of energy sector professionals.

The foreign ministry said expatriate workers from Bangladesh have been taking part in the modernisation of Brunei for more than two decades. The number is expected to go up further.

During the meeting, both sides expressed “keen interest to work together to address expatriate workers’ related issues in an integrated manner to make labour migration ethical and sustainable.”

Bangladesh and Brunei have also agreed to explore working on a bilateral instrument to promote collaborative efforts in higher education to facilitate exchange of academic experience, research findings and collaborative research in technical and vocational education to create a pool of skilled manpower in various trades.

Brunei also agreed to continue offering scholarships for Bangladeshi students.

Both sides recognised the need for deeper cooperation among the financial institutions to ensure smooth services for enhanced bilateral trade and investment.

As such, both countries agreed to work for a formal collaboration mechanism between central banks and relevant institutions.

Brunei has expressed keen interest to invest in BEZA for intermediary products which will be taken to Brunei for further value addition for exporting to ASEAN and other world markets. Also, they have shown interest to invest in Bangladeshi hotel business.

Both countries expressed interest to work together in the health sector and explore possible areas for cooperation.

Brunei has offered training and employment opportunities for Bangladeshi nurses and paramedics.

Both sides agreed to maintain defence cooperation and exchanges at various levels and deepen collaboration in areas such as personnel training, exchange of expertise, knowledge sharing between think-tanks, joint exercises and procurement of defence equipment and logistics by Brunei.

The Brunei delegation also called on Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the State Guest House Meghna before the foreign office consultations and discussed on further strengthening the bilateral relations.

The next consultations will be held within two years in Brunei.