Dhaka: President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan across various sectors, including trade, education, and air connectivity. This call for enhanced collaboration was made during a meeting with Pakistani High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider at Bangabhaban, as reported by President's Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam to UNB.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the meeting also involved a reiteration of an invitation from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari for President Mirza Fakhrul to visit Pakistan. In response, President Mirza Fakhrul expressed gratitude for the invitation and extended a reciprocal invitation for the Pakistani President to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.
President Mirza Fakhrul highlighted Pakistan as a significant partner for Bangladesh in various fields, suggesting that expanding trade and economic activities between the two nations will be mutually beneficial. He underscored the necessity of fostering contacts between business communities from both countries to explore new trade opportunities.
The President noted the popularity of Pakistani ready-made garments, particularly women's clothing, in Bangladesh and emphasized the potential for exporting Pakistani garments, cotton yarn, and other products to Bangladesh, aiming for a more balanced bilateral trade.
Pakistani High Commissioner Imran Haider announced plans for a trade fair in Dhaka in October, showcasing Pakistani products, and advocated for a similar event in Pakistan featuring Bangladeshi goods. He expressed interest from Pakistani entrepreneurs in joint ventures with Bangladeshi counterparts, particularly in manufacturing footballs and sports equipment.
The discussion also highlighted the positive impact of resumed direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Karachi on bilateral trade, business, and tourism. Imran Haider suggested increasing flight frequency between the two cities.
He praised the quality of Bangladeshi tea and proposed enhancing tea exports to Pakistan, leveraging an existing duty-free facility. President Mirza Fakhrul pointed out opportunities for increasing exports of Bangladeshi ceramics, betel leaf, agricultural products, and medicines to Pakistan, advocating for closer contact between business communities to realize this potential.
Imran Haider affirmed Pakistan's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Bangladesh, focusing on trade, investment, and cooperation. President Mirza Fakhrul also stressed the importance of exchanging training programs between the armed forces and civil administrations of both countries and expanding educational opportunities in science, engineering, technology, and medicine.
The Pakistani envoy sought the President's support in fulfilling his diplomatic responsibilities in Bangladesh, to which President Mirza Fakhrul assured full cooperation. He expressed optimism that relations between the two countries will grow more productive and multidimensional through increased cooperation in trade, education, culture, and training, along with enhanced people-to-people contacts.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the President's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and relevant departments.