The third round of political consultations between Bangladesh and the Sultanate of Oman took place on Sunday at the Omani Foreign Ministry in Muscat.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, while the Omani side was led by Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy, the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The consultations were attended by Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Oman Mr. Md. Nazmul Islam and Director General (West Asia) Mr. Md. Shafiqur Rahman and officials from both foreign ministries.
The delegations reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral relations between the two countries, covering political exchanges, defence cooperation, trade and economic matters, consular issues, and cooperation in areas such as Manpower, Energy, Agriculture, Education, Health, etc.
The Consultations took note of the need for holding the Joint Technical Committee meeting on Manpower cooperation soon, and underlined the need for deeper engagement in trade and economic fields between the two countries through setting up a Joint Business Chamber between apex trade bodies, initiating port-to-port connectivity, higher interaction and visit among businesses between the two countries.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the regular consultations and agreed to diversify cooperation in various areas of clean energy, direct shipping, recruitment of healthcare professionals, and Information Technology to enhance and consolidate the existing relationship.
There was also an exchange of views on cooperation in international platforms and contemporary global issues. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at mutually convenient dates in 2024 in Dhaka.
During his visit to Oman, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary also met with Dr. Saleh bin Said bin Salem Masen, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. He appraised the Undersecretary on the economic development gains in Bangladesh and sought for greater trade and investment cooperation from the Omani side.
Foreign Secretary invited the Undersecretary to visit Bangladesh with a business delegation. He also met Mr. Nasr bin Amer Al Hosni, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Work, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation in these two key sectors. Both sides expressed optimism on convening of the next meeting of the Joint Commission on Manpower shortly. There were exchanges of views on issues of common interests.