Bangladesh, Azerbaijan aim to boost bilateral relations

Diplomatic Correspondent :

Bangladesh and Azerbaijan have expressed a strong desire to deepen bilateral relations, with both nations keen to explore opportunities for collaboration across multiple sectors.

In recent discussions, officials from both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening trade, economic cooperation, and cultural exchanges, marking a new chapter in their diplomatic ties.

As part of this initiative, a Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) meeting between the two countries will be held in Dhaka on Tuesday, with “connectivity” featured as the central agenda.

Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Md. Jashim Uddin will lead the delegation, while Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, who arrived in Dhaka on April 27, will represent his country.

Sources from the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh said that the talks will cover a wide range of bilateral issues, reflecting both nations’ interest in broadening their engagement.

Bangladesh aims to leverage its growing ties with Azerbaijan to improve access to Central Asia and Russia. Given Azerbaijan’s highly developed communication infrastructure, closer connectivity would also strengthen Bangladesh’s links with the Moscow-centered transportation network.

Currently, many of Azerbaijan’s international flights route through Russia, and a direct air link between Dhaka and Baku could significantly ease travel to Russian and Central Asian destinations, bypassing the Middle East. Officials noted that such a move would boost trade, tourism, and people-to-people contact between the two countries.

Beyond connectivity, Azerbaijan has expressed a strong interest in expanding cooperation in technology exchange, the ICT sector, and knowledge sharing. Discussions during the FOC may lead to the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on joint cooperation, trade, and education.

Although Azerbaijan’s labor market remains largely closed to foreign workers, an estimated 1,000 Bangladeshis are currently working there in the agricultural sector. Efforts to formalize labor cooperation could be part of future discussions.

During his visit to Dhaka, Deputy Foreign Minister Mammadov is scheduled to meet with Ashiq Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), to explore opportunities for economic collaboration. He will also deliver a lecture at the Foreign Service Academy on Bangladesh-Azerbaijan bilateral relations and meet with Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain.

The visit follows Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s trip to Azerbaijan in November last year, during which he participated in the COP-29 conference in Baku and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

In that meeting, President Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan’s eagerness to deepen ties with Bangladesh and expressed plans to send a high-powered delegation to Dhaka to explore broader cooperation. Azerbaijan also revealed its intention to establish a residential embassy in Bangladesh, a move that would further solidify diplomatic and trade relations.

Both nations view this growing partnership as a strategic step toward greater engagement not only bilaterally but also within the broader Central Asian and Eurasian regions.

The last FOC between Bangladesh and Azerbaijan was held in Baku in June last year, where Dhaka urged Azerbaijan to recruit manpower from Bangladesh. During the consultation, both sides discussed all aspects of bilateral cooperation, including trade, investment, education, culture, and the ICT sector. They emphasized the importance of exchanging high-level visits and agreed to accelerate work on pending bilateral agreements.

At the meeting, then Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen requested Azerbaijan to import high-quality and affordable ready-made garments (RMG) and pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh. Bangladesh also proposed that Azerbaijan could serve as a reliable source of natural gas imports and suggested signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard, to which the Azerbaijani side responded positively.

The two countries further exchanged views on various regional and global issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Rohingya crisis, and the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.