Dhaka: One of the key outcomes of the visit of Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to Dhaka was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility between the two governments, according to a joint statement disseminated by the foreign ministry.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Italian Interior Minister concluded his two-day visit, which reaffirmed the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between Bangladesh and Italy, grounded in mutual respect, shared values, and common interests. During the visit, Bangladesh’s Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Dr. Asif Nazrul, and Piantedosi signed the MoU on behalf of their respective governments.
For Bangladesh, this MoU reflects the government’s commitment to expanding labor markets abroad, securing remittance inflows, and uplifting the lives of people through legal migration pathways, said the statement. For Italy, it offers a solution to the challenges of labor shortages while promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration, it added.
This MoU will also help address irregular migration jointly and more effectively, including in line with the provisions of the ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Identification and Return of Persons without an Authorization to Stay’ signed between Bangladesh and the EU in 2017.
During the visit, both sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations and discussed a wide range of issues, including security cooperation, migration management, law enforcement collaboration, streamlined visa processing arrangements, and the welfare of the Bangladeshi diaspora in Italy.
Both sides also reflected on the shared desire of Bangladesh and Italy to foster a mutually beneficial partnership for promoting economic growth, social development, and the well-being of their people. The two sides concurred on organizing a visit of the Head of Government of Italy to Bangladesh at an early date.
The Italian Minister expressed appreciation for Bangladesh’s efforts to stabilize the economy and accelerate growth, as well as its generous hosting of forcibly displaced Rohingyas. The Bangladesh side acknowledged Italy’s continued support within the European Union and international forums.
During the visit, the Italian minister met with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and held bilateral meetings with Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Dr. Asif Nazrul, Foreign Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and Adviser for Home Affairs and Agriculture Lt. General (retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
During his call on the Chief Adviser, Piantedosi reaffirmed Italy’s continued support for Bangladesh’s interim government and its initiatives for political and socio-economic reforms, echoing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s commitment conveyed during her meeting with the Bangladesh Chief Adviser on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2024, in New York.
Describing Italy as a valued partner of Bangladesh, the Chief Adviser stressed the need for expanding bilateral trade, including through greater market access, business-to-business partnerships, and joint ventures in sectors such as textiles, leather, information technology, and food processing, said the statement.
While meeting with the Bangladesh Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Italian Minister emphasized promoting mutual prosperity through labor mobility. In view of the increasing demand for skilled labor in Italy and the potential for Bangladesh to provide a well-trained, hardworking, and young workforce, the Expatriates’ Welfare Adviser requested consideration of increased quotas for skilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers under the legal migration pathways.
During the meeting between the Bangladesh Foreign Adviser and the Italian Interior Minister, the two dignitaries acknowledged the significant contributions of the Bangladeshi diaspora to both economies. They underscored the need for enhancing legal migration pathways and addressing irregular migration through joint efforts.
Both the Bangladesh Home Adviser and the Italian Interior Minister, in a bilateral meeting, welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries. They agreed to enhance cooperation in combating transnational organized crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling as well as terrorism and cybercrime.
The visit concluded with both parties expressing confidence that the outcomes of the visit would further strengthen the partnership between Bangladesh and Italy and lay the foundation for deeper collaboration in areas of mutual interest, said the joint statement.