Prime Minister Tarique Rahman embarks on his first foreign tour since assuming office in February, beginning today with a two-day visit to Malaysia before traveling over to China for a five-day official trip.
The visit is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations, attracting foreign investment, expanding employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, and enhancing economic cooperation with both the Asian nations.
Apart from this, Bangladesh's bid to be a dialogue partner of the ASEAN, a platform of South-East Asian nations, will also be discussed during the visit in a move to gain Kuala Lumpur's support.
Addressing a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said Bangladesh would place special emphasis on securing greater access for Bangladeshi workers to the Malaysian labour market during the prime minister's visit.
"We will request Malaysia to recruit more workers from Bangladesh," the foreign secretary said. "However, as you know, Malaysia is currently reviewing its foreign worker-recruitment policy not only for Bangladesh but also for other countries, including Indonesia and Pakistan. We hope Bangladesh will receive priority once the review process is completed."
He stresses that while labour migration remains an important component of bilateral relations, Bangladesh seeks to broaden its engagement with Malaysia beyond the labour sector.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to hold official talks with the Malaysian Prime Minister on June 22. Later in the same day, he is expected to meet the King of Malaysia.
In addition to high-level political engagements, the prime minister will meet chief executives of several leading Malaysian companies, including AirAsia and Petronas, as part of efforts to attract investment into Bangladesh's oil and energy, telecommunications, aviation, and port sectors.
According to officials, investment promotion will be one of the key priorities of the visit as Bangladesh seeks to deepen economic ties with Southeast Asia's third-largest economy.
The foreign secretary notes that Malaysia holds a special place in Bangladesh's diplomatic history.
"Malaysia was the first Muslim-majority country in Southeast Asia to recognize Bangladesh," he says. "Malaysia has also played an important role in Bangladesh's engagement with ASEAN and has been a strong supporter of Bangladesh on various international issues, including the Rohingya crisis."
During the visit, the two countries are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation. Discussions are also underway regarding the exchange of Terms of Reference aimed at launching negotiations for a bilateral Free-Trade Agreement (FTA).
Officials have said several other initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation are also being discussed.
"Our primary objective is to further deepen the multidimensional relationship with Malaysia," says Asad Alam Siam. "At the same time, we will strongly advocate for creating new employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in the Malaysian labour market."
Concluding his Malaysia visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will travel directly from Kuala Lumpur to China on Monday night. The China leg of the two-nation tour is expected to focus on investment, infrastructure cooperation, trade, water- resource management, and broader strategic relations between the two countries.
The prime minister's six-day tour will include delegations of 27 members in Malaysia and 28 members in China.
Responding to questions about the size of the delegations, the foreign secretary says efforts had been made to keep the accompanying teams at a reasonable level.
The delegation accompanying the prime minister to Malaysia will include Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and Prime Minister's Adviser and Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson Mahdi Amin, among others.
On the China trip, his entourage will include Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Economic and Planning Adviser to the Prime Minister Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, and Prime Minister's Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin.
The Malaysia-China tour is being closely watched by diplomatic observers as it marks Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's first overseas engagement since taking office and is expected to provide important signals regarding the foreign-policy priorities of the new administration.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
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