Bangladesh seeks stronger energy ties, more jobs in Brunei

Bangladesh has sought long-term energy cooperation and increased investment from Brunei Darussalam as the two countries look to strengthen their bilateral relations.

Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir met Brunei's Second Minister of Finance, Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the two ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing momentum in Bangladesh-Brunei relations.

Humaiun Kobir expressed Bangladesh's keen interest in establishing long-term energy cooperation with Brunei and invited the country to invest in energy exploration under government-to-government (G2G) and public-private partnership arrangements.

He also encouraged Brunei to invest in Bangladesh's Islamic banking sector.

The acting foreign minister conveyed Bangladesh's readiness to supply additional skilled, semi-skilled and professional workers to meet the needs of Brunei's labour market.

Recognising the Bangladeshi expatriate community as an important contributor to Brunei's economy, the Bruneian minister expressed optimism about the continued recruitment of workers from Bangladesh.

Humaiun Kobir also conveyed an invitation from Prime Minister of Bangladesh to the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.