Staff Reporter:
Reiterating its steadfast support to the current interim government, Australia has sought Bangladesh’s assistance in addressing irregular migrant issues, handling of people smuggling and trafficking in persons as well as transnational organized crimes.
While appreciating Bangladesh’s economic and social development, Australia expressed its keen interest in working more closely with Bangladesh on issues of mutual interests in the days to come.
During the fifth senior officials’ talks at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Aus-tralia on Tuesday, Bangladesh recognized Australia’s continued support in Bangladesh’s development ef-forts since independence.
Bangladesh has sought technical and expert support from Australia in its agriculture, education, energy, blue economy and ICT sectors.
Bangladesh also urged Australia to play a more proactive role in pursuing the global community to put collective political pressure on Myanmar for an enduring solution to the Rohingya problem.
Additional Foreign Secretary (Bilateral-East & West) Md Nazrul Islam and first Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asia Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia Sarah Sto-rey led the delegations on respective sides.
High-level government officials of relevant departments along with Mission officials of both countries were also present during the talks.
The talks, held with a spirit of mutual understanding, covered a wide array of issues, including develop-ment partnership, sectoral cooperation, strategic and regional issues, migration issues, civil maritime cooperation, security and defense cooperation, and cooperation in multilateral fora.
Climate change featured prominently in the talks, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to addressing global environmental challenges.
Australia acknowledged Bangladesh’s vulnerability to climate impacts and pledged continued support for Bangladesh’s climate adaptation and resilience efforts.
Regional and global issues of mutual interest, including Indo-Pacific outlook, counter-terrorism, and multilateral cooperation, were also on the agenda.
The talks reflected the shared commitment to upholding peace, security, and prosperity in the region.
The officials expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the bilateral relationship and identified areas for further collaboration.
They reiterated their dedication to strengthening ties and working together to address shared challenges.
Both sides underscored the importance of regular exchange of visits, including at the highest level, as well as regular contacts and interaction between leaders and officials, to take forward bilateral coopera-tion to a new level.
The next round of senior officials’ talks will be held in Dhaka in 2025.
