President seeks more Australian cooperation in skilled manpower, LNG supply

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday sought greater Australian cooperation in energy security, skilled manpower migration, technical education, investment and economic partnership.

He made the call when Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban in Dhaka.

During the meeting, the high commissioner conveyed greetings to the President on behalf of Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC and handed him a formal letter of congratulations. The President thanked the governor-general for the greetings.

The President sought Australia’s support in diversifying Bangladesh’s energy sources and proposed creating opportunities to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia.

He also urged greater Australian investment in infrastructure, renewable energy, energy exploration, agro-processing, medical technology, logistics and manufacturing.

He expressed hope that the senior officials’ meeting and the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) meeting scheduled to be held in Canberra in November would play an important role in expanding trade and investment between the two countries.

The President welcomed opportunities for skilled migration to Australia for Bangladeshi professionals, particularly in information technology, engineering and other technical fields.

He also sought continued Australian cooperation in scholarships and academic exchange programmes, as well as support for establishing a University of Canberra campus in Dhaka.

For Bangladesh’s growing workforce, the President proposed expanding cooperation between Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions and Bangladesh’s technical training centres to develop job-oriented skills. He particularly emphasised technical training, including caregiver training.

Referring to the Rohingya crisis, the President thanked Australia for its continued humanitarian assistance and called for its continued support for a sustainable solution to the crisis.

He expressed hope that the Bangladesh-Australia partnership would place greater emphasis on practical economic opportunities, skills development, investment and increased people-to-people connectivity and mobility.

The Australian high commissioner stressed the importance of foreign exchange reserves, tax reforms, judicial independence and a positive regulatory environment for investment by Australian businesses.

She also praised banking reforms in Bangladesh and expressed Australia’s interest in further strengthening existing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The President’s Military Secretary, Secretary, Press Secretary and an additional secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the meeting. Australian Deputy High Commissioner Clinton Pobke also attended.