Humaiun meets Malaysian, Bruneian counterparts on CHOGM sidelines

Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir held separate meetings with his Malaysian and Bruneian counterparts on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday, discussing fair recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, long-term energy cooperation and increased job opportunities in Brunei.
In talks with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, the two sides discussed joint inspections and monitoring of the migration system to ensure fair and transparent recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, according to a Foreign Ministry press release issued on Tuesday night.
The ministers also reviewed cooperation beyond expatriate issues, focusing on trade and investment and an early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Recalling Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's state visit to Malaysia in June this year, they expressed satisfaction with the growing bilateral relations.
The Malaysian minister expressed hope that Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim would visit Dhaka at an early date. He also assured Malaysia's support for Bangladesh's aspirations to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and accede to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Humaiun Kobir later met Brunei's Second Minister of Finance, Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the growing momentum in Bangladesh-Brunei relations.
The acting foreign minister expressed Bangladesh's keen interest in long-term energy cooperation and invited Brunei to invest in energy exploration through government-to-government (G2G) and public-private partnership arrangements. He also encouraged Brunei to invest in Bangladesh's Islamic banking sector.
He conveyed Bangladesh's readiness to supply more skilled, semi-skilled and professional workers to meet Brunei's labour market needs. Recognising the Bangladeshi expatriate community as an important contributor to Brunei's economy, the Bruneian minister expressed optimism about continued recruitment of workers from Bangladesh.