BD seeks economic ties wth US, Maldives
Bangladesh has sought to deepen its bilateral economic engagement with the United States and Maldives, with separate meetings in Dhaka on Wednesday focusing on trade, investment, employment opportunities and wider cooperation.
The discussions came as Dhaka seeks to broaden its external economic partnerships and attract greater foreign investment while expanding opportunities for Bangladeshi workers abroad, according to Foreign Ministry.
Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Humaiun Kobir held separate meetings with a high-level US business delegation led by US-Bangladesh Business Council President Atul Keshap and Maldivian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon.
During the meeting with the US delegation, Bangladesh and the United States discussed strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, expanding economic cooperation and exploring investment opportunities in Bangladesh.
Welcoming the delegation, Kobir said Bangladesh-US relations were longstanding and multidimensional, stressing that stronger trade and investment ties could play an important role in further consolidating the relationship.
He highlighted opportunities available to US investors in Bangladesh and said the government was committed to creating a business and investment-friendly environment.
Bangladesh, he said, was passing through an important phase of economic transformation and new opportunities, making closer partnerships with US businesses and investors particularly significant for economic growth, job creation and the exchange of technology and knowledge. Keshap expressed interest in Bangladesh’s economic potential and investment opportunities, while stressing the importance of expanding cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries.
He said the US-Bangladesh Business Council was keen to take bilateral business relations to a new level.
The two sides also discussed opportunities for US investment in industry and infrastructure, energy, technology, the digital economy and healthcare, alongside other potential sectors.
The engagement assumes significance as economic and commercial ties remain an important pillar of Bangladesh-US relations, with Dhaka seeking to translate growing private-sector interest into greater investment and broader market access.
In the separate meeting with the Maldivian high commissioner, Kobir and Rasheed reviewed bilateral relations and discussed issues of common interest.
The two sides placed particular emphasis on expanding cooperation in tourism, human resources and investment, while reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and the Maldives.
Kobir also urged the Maldives to create more employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers and ensure protection of their interests.
The focus on manpower cooperation reflects the importance of labour mobility in Bangladesh-Maldives relations, alongside the traditional areas of tourism and people-to-people links.
Taken together, the two meetings underscored Dhaka’s effort to give greater economic substance to its bilateral relationships by linking diplomacy with trade, investment, employment and private-sector cooperation.
For Bangladesh, deeper engagement with US investors could support its efforts to attract capital and technology, while stronger manpower cooperation with the Maldives could help expand overseas employment opportunities for its workers.
The challenge for Dhaka will be to convert expressions of interest into concrete investment, market access and sustained cooperation.
