Bangladesh, Laos agree to expand trade, worker recruitment

The consultations, marking a milestone in the 38-year diplomatic relationship established in 1988, were co-chaired by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Ambassador Asad Alam Siam and Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Anouparb Vongnorkeo, according to a foreign ministry press release issued here.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and identified potential areas for enhanced cooperation, including trade and investment, capacity building, human resource development, diplomatic training, ICT, healthcare, eco-tourism, climate change, consular affairs and higher education.

Bangladesh and the Lao People's Democratic Republic agreed to initiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labour cooperation aimed at facilitating recruitment of more Bangladeshi workers in Laos.

They also agreed to initiate an MoU on cultural cooperation to strengthen people-to-people contacts, exchange young diplomats, promote tourism cooperation and share experiences on smooth transition strategies from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

On consular issues, Bangladesh requested Laos to ease visa procedures for Bangladeshi ordinary passport holders, to which the Lao side responded positively.

A major focus of the consultations was strengthening bilateral trade and economic cooperation, as both sides acknowledged that the current volume of trade remained well below its potential.

They underscored the need for concerted efforts to diversify and expand bilateral trade and investment flows and agreed to encourage greater business-to-business engagement, including exchanges between their respective apex chambers of commerce and industry.

Laos expressed particular interest in deepening cooperation involving Bangladesh's pharmaceutical and agricultural products.

Bangladesh appreciated Laos' support on various issues at international fora and sought its continued backing for the dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland in Myanmar.

The Lao side reiterated its support for Bangladesh's aspirations to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

As climate-vulnerable countries, the two sides also expressed interest in working closely to address the adverse impacts of climate change.

They agreed to exchange experiences and best practices on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies to enhance resilience and strengthen their respective capacities to address climate-related challenges.

At the conclusion of the consultations, the heads of the two delegations signed an outcome document.

Later, the Lao deputy foreign minister hosted a reception dinner in honour of the Bangladesh foreign secretary and his delegation, reports BSS.