Bangladesh, Estonia seek to deepen bilateral ties through trade, investment, ICT

Bangladesh and Estonia have pledged to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in trade, investment, ICT, skilled manpower and other areas during the second round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in Tallinn on Monday.

Ambassador M Nazrul Islam, Secretary (Bilateral East & West) of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mati Murd, Head of the Asia and Pacific Region at Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led their respective delegations.

The two sides identified significant untapped opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and agreed to recalibrate and expand bilateral ties. They placed particular emphasis on strengthening political engagement and proposed reciprocal visits by the two countries’ foreign ministers.

They also discussed establishing a Bangladesh-Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group to promote regular interaction between lawmakers.

On trade, investment and economic cooperation, both sides agreed to encourage greater private-sector engagement and exchanges of business delegations to unlock the full potential of bilateral economic relations.

The Bangladesh delegation highlighted the country’s global leadership in key manufacturing sectors, including ready-made garments, jute and jute products, and pharmaceuticals. It invited Estonian investors to explore Bangladesh’s investment-friendly Special Economic Zones and proposed forming a Joint Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Bangladesh also proposed a memorandum of understanding between the countries’ apex chambers of commerce and invited Estonia’s private sector to send an exploratory mission to Bangladesh.

The two sides also explored cooperation on employment and skilled manpower migration. Bangladesh highlighted its growing pool of skilled workers, including IT professionals, engineers, electricians, plumbers and healthcare workers.

They discussed expanding skilled manpower migration from Bangladesh to Estonia under the European Union’s Talent Partnership programme, particularly in ICT, caregiving, construction, hospitality and tourism, agriculture and agri-processing. Estonia expressed optimism about expanding cooperation in these areas.

ICT and digital cooperation also featured prominently in the discussions. The two sides discussed digital governance, interoperability, e-ID systems, secure data exchange, innovation and business partnerships.

Estonia expressed readiness to support Bangladesh’s e-governance initiatives and said several Estonian companies and investors in the digital sector were interested in investing in Bangladesh and partnering with Bangladeshi businesses.

Bangladesh invited Estonian companies to explore opportunities in emerging sectors and strengthen business-to-business engagement.

The two countries also discussed expanding people-to-people connectivity through cooperation in education and sports, scholarships, research, and exchanges involving students, young people, tourists and cultural groups.

The delegations agreed to work towards concluding several bilateral instruments at the earliest on trade and economic cooperation, cultural cooperation, tourism promotion, avoidance of double taxation, investment promotion and protection, and industrial cooperation.

Estonia congratulated Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on his election as president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and pledged its full support during his tenure. Estonia also expressed hope that Bangladesh would uphold the UN Charter during the presidency.

The Bangladesh delegation stressed the country’s significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations and reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to international law, sovereignty, non-interference, equality and mutual respect among nations.

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Both sides agreed to strengthen coordination on regional and global issues, support each other’s candidatures in international elections and extend mutual support at international forums, including the UN.

Estonia also assured Bangladesh of possible support on matters of Bangladesh’s interest within the EU. The two sides exchanged views on major regional and global developments and recognised their strategic positions as an opportunity to promote stability and inter-regional connectivity.

Estonia also pledged support for Bangladesh at international forums on issues related to the repatriation of Rohingyas.

The Bangladesh delegation separately held a lunch meeting with Karin Maandi, Acting Under Secretary of Estonia’s Department of NATO and Transatlantic Relations, and discussed issues of mutual interest in detail.

The delegations expressed confidence that the second FOC would strengthen future engagement between the two friendly countries across various areas of cooperation.

They agreed to hold the third round of Foreign Office Consultations in Dhaka at a mutually convenient time.