Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday sought Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s membership in the ASEAN and also urged the Southeast Asian country to create more opportunities for Bangladeshi businesses.

He made the call when the Indonesian ambassador to Bangladesh, Heru Hartanto Subolo, paid him a farewell visit at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

“I hope Indonesia will help us get the membership of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). This is very important for us,” Prof Yunus told the ambassador.

The chief adviser said that he also discussed the issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s recent visit to Bangladesh, as the country is set to assume the chair of ASEAN in January.

Ambassador Subolo conveyed his country’s support for Bangladesh’s interim government and said that Indonesia would closely follow Bangladesh’s application to become an ASEAN member.

“Indonesia stands ready to support Bangladesh in all possible ways. Hopefully, it will be beneficial for both countries,” he said.

The chief adviser recalled his multiple visits to Indonesia to promote microcredit and said that from his experience he found a very thin presence of Bangladeshi businesses in Indonesia.

“One thing is regrettable that there are not many Bangladeshis in Indonesia. They are everywhere but not in Indonesia.”

He said, “Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. But the people of the country are not much aware of Bangladesh. Somehow we are not interacting much.”

The chief adviser added, “We must find a way to bring us closer.”

He also urged Indonesia to enroll more Bangladeshi students in their universities, hire more Bangladeshi doctors, and import pharmaceutical items from Bangladesh.

Ambassador Subolo promised to work on increasing business cooperation between the two countries.

He expressed satisfaction with the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pertamina Power Indonesia and Coal Generation Company Bangladesh Limited concerning the Solar PV investment project in Matarbari and other areas in July 2024.

The chief adviser congratulated new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on assuming office and invited him to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.