Bangladesh has urged Bahrain to work towards easing the process of applying as well as obtaining Bahraini visas for Bangladeshi nationals. Bangladesh also requested Bahrain to approve the re-entry of its 207 stranded workers and 150 stranded families whose visas expired during the pandemic time. The issues were discussed at the long-awaited first round of the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Bahrain in Manama Sunday. Bahrain assured Bangladesh of solving the issues at the earliest. Read: Climate Change: UN, Bangladesh to strengthen cooperation The Bangladesh delegation was led by Secretary (East) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mashfee Binte Shams. The Bahrain delegation was led by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. During the meeting, the two sides also stressed the importance of forming a "strategic partnership" between the countries to promote the steady growth of bilateral relationships. "Mashfee requested Bahrain to open its labour market to new Bangladeshi workers. Her Bahrain counterpart underscored a fair and transparent recruitment system," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Bangladesh side mentioned a few good models by which Bangladeshis are being recruited for overseas employment. Also, the government has taken a zero-tolerance policy against illegal migration and signed MoU to prevent human trafficking in some countries, it added. The delegations from both sides sought each other's support and cooperation in trade, economics, labour, youth, sports, airing candidacies in international elections, mutual exchange of visits of senior-level officials, blue economy, and the signing of pending bilateral instruments that are yet to be finalised and several other topics of mutual interest. Read: Bangladesh, Cyprus keen to expand cooperation on public safety The secretary briefed the Bahrain side about Bangladesh's recent remarkable progress in socio-economic development as well as the government's efforts to establish the country as the regional hub of connectivity. Mashfee requested the undersecretary to consider exporting fertiliser to Bangladesh and importing agricultural foods from Bangladesh. She also sought Bahraini support for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis. The undersecretary appreciated the role of Bangladeshi expatriates in the development efforts of Bahrain, contributing to the economies of both countries. The secretary invited the undersecretary to visit Bangladesh at the earliest opportunity. The next round of FOC will be held in Dhaka in 2023.