Bangladesh and Australia expressed their desire to deepen and widen their economic cooperation at the 4th Foreign Office Consultation held in Dhaka on Monday.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by the Secretary (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury and the delegation of Australia was led by the First Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Gary Cowan, the foreign ministry said.
The concerned officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Education, Information and Communication Technology Division, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Armed Forces Division were present at the Bangladesh delegation side during the meeting at the state guesthouse Padma.
Various bilateral, regional, international, economic and overall issues related to the mutual interests of Bangladesh and Australia were discussed in detail, the foreign ministry said.
Australian delegation expressed its interest in working more closely with Bangladesh in various regional and international forums while appreciating Bangladesh's economic and social development.
From the Bangladesh side, importance was placed on dealing with climate change, sustainable solutions to the Rohingya crisis and cooperation in human resource development.
In addition, both sides exchanged views on Indo-Pacific strategy, Indian Ocean Rim Association, security and defense cooperation, human rights, cyber security, energy cooperation and people to people contact.
The next Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) will be held in Australia in 2024.
The 3rd FOC between Bangladesh and Australia was held online in 2021 due to the pandemic lockdown.