Bangladesh and Tajikistan have discussed possible cooperation in the mineral resources including benefiting from Tajikistan’s vast reserves and expertise in gold, aluminum, zinc, copper, lead, and silver.
On bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation between the countries, both sides agreed to encourage more private sector interactions and exchanges of business delegations to realize the potential.
The two countries vowed to strengthen bilateral relations during the first-ever Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in Dhaka on July 8.
The two sides signed a MoU on Foreign Office Consultation to institutionalize the regular consultation mechanism before the meeting.
Ambassador Asad Alam Siam, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh and Idibek Kalandar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan led their respective delegations during the meeting.
Both sides attached high priority to recalibrating and expanding the relations between Bangladesh and Tajikistan.
They stressed further deepening the political cohesion and proposed organizing reciprocal visits of Foreign Ministers.
They discussed exploring the formation of a Bangladesh-Tajikistan Parliamentary Friendship Group to enhance regular interaction among the parliamentarians.
Bangladesh highlighted the Tajik delegation on Bangladesh's global leadership in key manufacturing sectors, including Ready-Made Garments (RMG), jute and jute products, and pharmaceutical industry.
It invited Tajik investors to explore the investment friendly climate in Special Economic Zones in Bangladesh and proposed the formation of a Joint Working Group (JWC) on Trade and Economic Cooperation, signing a MoU between the apex chambers of the two countries and invited an exploratory mission of the Tajik private sector.
The two countries also discussed more people to people bridge including cooperation in education and sports, exchanges of students, youths, tourists, and cultural troupes and employment opportunities for highly skilled and semi-skilled professional workforce from Bangladesh to Tajikistan.
The delegations also discussed and agreed to conclude at the earliest a few other bilateral instruments regarding cooperation in areas such as trade and economic cooperation, cultural cooperation, visa waiver for diplomatic and official passport holders, tourism promotion, avoidance of double taxation, promotion and protection of investments, and cooperation in the fields of industries.
Both Bangladesh and Tajikistan agreed to deepen regional and global coordination and to reaffirm the close coordination and mutual support across international platforms, including the UN and the OIC.
Bangladesh expressed gratitude to Tajikistan for its support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the Presidency of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They also exchanged views on critical regional and global developments, recognizing the strategic positions connecting South and Central Asia as a unique opportunity to promote stability and inter-regional connectivity.
The delegations noted that the inaugural consultation has laid a solid foundation for the future engagements in different areas of cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
They decided to hold the second round of Foreign Office Consultations in Dushanbe at a mutually convenient schedule.
On the sideline of the consultation, the two countries also signed a MoU on the collaboration between the diplomatic training institutes of the two countries.
The Rector of the Foreign Service Academy, Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, and the Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister signed the MoU.