St. John's:Bangladesh and Malaysia have engaged in discussions regarding joint inspections and monitoring of the migration system to ensure fair and transparent recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for the Malaysian labor market.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, this issue was highlighted during a meeting between Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda.
The ministers discussed the need for joint inspections and monitoring to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process. In addition to expatriate issues, they reviewed bilateral cooperation with a particular focus on trade and investment, and the early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Reflecting on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's state visit to Malaysia in June, both ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing bilateral relations. The Malaysian foreign minister also expressed hope that Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim would visit Dhaka soon. Furthermore, he assured Malaysia's support for Bangladesh’s aims to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.