Bangladesh and GCC sign MoU for mutual cooperation

Diplomatic Correspondent :
Bangladesh and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for mutual cooperation on an array of issues including food security, climate change.
The other issues of the MoU are regular discussion on political, economic, cultural, people-to-people contact, agriculture, and environmental protection.
The MoU was signed by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and GCC Secretary General Dr Nayem Falah M Al-Hajraf at the sideline Manama dialogue in Bahrain on November 18, Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Saturday.
Regarding the MoU, the GCC Secretary General said that it would
act as a legal framework for cooperation between Bangladesh and GCC through joint action plan, joint working group and technical team, joint business council and GCC forums.
On the other hand, Foreign Minister Momen emphasised that GCC have a basket of opportunities to work together for skill development, food security, energy security, climate change, crisis management, peace management, afforesteation and IT cooperation as well as Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Along with this, Momen also briefed the GCC Secretary General about the unprecedented socio-economic progress of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He has also invited Dr Nayem Falah to visit Bangladesh and the GCC Secretary General expressed his interest to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
During the MoU signing ceremony, Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East) of the Foreign Ministry, Bangladesh Ambassador to Bahrain Md Nazrul Islam and concerned high officials of Bangladesh and GCC were present.