Bangladesh expects to have an “elaborate discussion” with Malaysia this week on manpower recruitment in an effort to make the overall recruitment process more transparent and expeditious.

Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is expected to pay a “working visit” to Bangladesh on February 4-5, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reports at a weekly briefing on Thursday.

This is going to be the first minister-level visit from the Southeast Asian country since the formation of a new government there.

The Malaysian Home Minister is likely to have meetings with his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad during his two-day visit.

“The upcoming visit will hopefully bring momentum in Bangladesh-Malaysia bilateral relations,” said the MoFA spokesperson.

Bangladesh wants to ease the manpower recruitment process in Malaysia with a reduced cost through discussion.

Read more: Manpower export to Malaysia resumes after four-year gap

“The Malaysian home minister is coming with a big team. It will help make things (related to manpower recruitment) more rationalized. We want to send our workers at a reduced cost,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.

He said Bangladesh wants the manpower “cartel” to be dismantled, the recruitment cost reduced, and the rules of recruitment eased.

Earlier, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md Golam Sarwar met with the Malaysian home affairs minister and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

The high commissioner welcomed the Malaysian minister’s crucial visit to Bangladesh and discussed various aspects of the visit, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

As it is his first foreign visit after taking charge as home minister, it is significant for both countries.

They also discussed recruiting more manpower from Bangladesh in a short time at a low cost.

High Commissioner Golam Sarwar requested the home minister of Malaysia to legalise the undocumented Bangladeshis in the Southeast Asian country on easy terms under the recalibration programme.

The Malaysian home minister assured the high commissioner that they would look into the matter, according to the High Commission.