Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government, has sought Indonesia's support for Bangladesh's membership in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) regional economic bloc.
He also exhorted the Southeast Asian country to create more opportunities for Bangladesh's business with it.
The Nobel peace laureate made the call when the Indonesian ambassador in Dhaka, Heru Hartanto Subolo, paid him a farewell visit at the former's office on Sunday, according to a spokesperson for the CA office.
"I hope Indonesia will help us get the membership of the ASEAN. This is very important for us," he told the envoy.
Talking to Mr Subolo, Dr Yunus said he also discussed the issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his recent Dhaka visit, as Malaysia is set to assume the ASEAN chair in January.
However, the envoy conveyed his country's support for Bangladesh's interim government and said that Jakarta would closely follow Dhaka's application to become an ASEAN member.
"Indonesia stands ready to support Bangladesh in all possible ways. Hopefully, it will be beneficial for both countries," he uttered.
At the parley, Dr Yunus recalled his multiple visits to Indonesia to promote microcredit. He, however, regretted a very thin presence of Bangladeshi business in Indonesia.
"One thing is always regrettable that there are not many Bangladeshis in Indonesia. They are everywhere but not in Indonesia," he said.
"Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. But people of the country are not much aware of Bangladesh. Somehow we are not interacting much."
"We must find a way to bring us closer," added the chief adviser.
He also called for enrolling more Bangladeshi students in Malaysian universities, hiring more Bangladeshi doctors and importing pharmaceutical items from Bangladesh.
Mr Subolo promised to work comprehensively to increase business cooperation between Bangladesh and Indonesia.
He expressed satisfaction with the signing of an MoU between the Pertamina Power Indonesia and the Coal Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd concerning the solar PV investment project in Matarbari and other areas in July 2024.
At the meeting, the chief adviser congratulated the new Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, on his assumption of office and invited him to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
