Bangladesh wants to become Dialogue Partner of Asean

FE Team | Published: August 10, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Bangladesh wants to make the best use of two-day 21st Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial meeting, being held in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, to become a Dialogue Partner of important regional economic block - Asean, reports UNB.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali is already in Nay Pyi Taw and his visit would significantly contribute towards fulfilling the objectives of the government to become a Dialogue Partner of this important regional economic block, said an official at the Foreign Ministry.
For the last few years, Bangladesh has been pursuing to become Asean Dialogue Partner, for which there is a moratorium on its expansion up to the end of 2015, the Foreign Minister said before his departure.
During his stay in Myanmar, the foreign minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with a number of his counterparts of other participating countries including China, Japan, New Zealand and the host Myanmar on the sidelines of the ARF meeting.
The Foreign Minister, who is leading a four-member Bangladesh delegation to the meeting, reached Nay Pyi Taw on Friday evening to participate in the ARF meeting.
The Minister was received at the VIP Lounge of the Nay Pyi Taw International Airport by the Director General U Myint Swe and Director Soe Paing of the Myanmar Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Minister is expected to return Dhaka on Monday.
The current participants in the ARF are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States, and Vietnam.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is one of the very strong regional organisations which cover about 9 per cent of the world's population.
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam are the members of the Asean which was formed in August, 1967.