Dhaka, Ottawa seek to boost $4b trade
Bangladesh and Canada have discussed ways to expand their more than $4 billion two-way trade while strengthening cooperation on legitimate migration, combating fraud and irregular migration, and finding a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The issues were discussed on Wednesday when Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh met Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman to explore ways of strengthening the longstanding bilateral partnership.
The two sides discussed building on more than five decades of Bangladesh-Canada friendship and advancing mutual prosperity. Canada has provided more than $6.3 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh, including over $600 million for the Rohingya crisis since 2017.
With bilateral trade reaching more than $4 billion in 2025, the discussions focused on expanding commercial ties and unlocking greater benefits for people in both countries, according to the Canadian High Commission.
The two sides also explored opportunities to deepen and diversify trade and investment, particularly in agriculture, energy, artificial intelligence, education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), civil aviation, security and defence.
Migration was another key area of discussion, with Bangladesh and Canada looking to strengthen cooperation to prevent fraud and irregular migration while creating greater opportunities for legitimate migration.
The two sides also discussed the Rohingya crisis and the need for a durable solution to the protracted humanitarian crisis.
During the meeting, High Commissioner Singh once again congratulated Foreign Minister Rahman on his election as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to working closely with Rahman during his tenure to advance UN reforms and contribute to building a better future for people in all countries.
The discussions reflect efforts by Dhaka and Ottawa to broaden their longstanding partnership beyond development assistance and strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, migration, humanitarian affairs and other emerging areas of mutual interest.
