Bangladesh and Australia on Tuesday reiterated their desire to strengthen ties and work together to address common challenges for mutual benefit.
At their fifth senior officials talks held at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia in Canberra the two sides expressed satisfaction over progress achieved in bilateral ties and identified areas for further collaboration. The two 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 cooperation to a new level, said a Foreign Ministry release.
Additional Foreign Secretary (Bilateral-East & West) Md Nazrul Islam led the Bangladesh delegation, while Sarah Storey of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade led her country's delegations.
Senior officials of the two sides along with Mission officials of both countries were also present in the talks.
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 talks, held in a warm and cordial atmosphere with a spirit of mutual understanding, covered a wide array of issues, including development partnership, sectoral cooperation, strategic and regional issues, migration issues, civil maritime cooperation, security and defense cooperation, and cooperation in multilateral for a, it said.
Recognizing Australia's continued support in Bangladesh's development efforts since independence, Bangladesh sought technical and expert support from Australia in its Agriculture, education, energy, blue economy and ICT sectors. Bangladesh also urged Australia to play more proactive role in pursuing global community to put collective political pressure on Myanmar for an enduring solution to Rohingya problem.
Reiterating Australia's steadfast support to the interim government, Australian side sought Bangladesh's assistance in addressing irregular migrant issues, handling of people smuggling and trafficking in persons as well as transnational organised crimes. While appreciating Bangladesh's economic and social development, Australian delegation expressed its keen interest in working more closely with Bangladesh on issues of mutual interests in the days to come.
The next round of Senior Officials' Talks will be held in Dhaka in 2025.
