Bangladesh and the Philippines on Wednesday agreed to convene the 3rd Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) soon to comprehensively discuss the full range of bilateral matters and address issues of mutual interest.

Bangladesh emphasized on finalizing the pending bilateral instruments between the two countries to facilitate smoother collaboration across various sectors.

Bangladesh also emphasized the need to prioritize investment, direct air connectivity, capacity-building for migrant workers, nursing education, tourism, and stronger people-to-people ties.

Newly appointed Ambassador of the Philippines to Bangladesh Nina Padilla Cainglet met Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed the issues.

During the meeting, they stressed on strengthening bilateral ties between Bangladesh and the Philippines which is built on mutual respect, shared cultural values, goodwill, and common goals for development.

The Foreign Secretary said that the full potential of bilateral trade remains untapped and stressed the importance of boosting trade and commerce between the two countries.

He thanked the government of the Philippines for the support Bangladesh received so far regarding recovery of the stolen money of Bangladesh Bank and sought their support to recover the rest of the money.

The Foreign Secretary sought Philippines’ support for Bangladesh’s bid to become Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and resolving the protracted Rohingya crisis.

Ambassador Nina Padilla assured full support on all these matters.

The Foreign Secretary assured the Ambassador of all possible support during her stint in Bangladesh.