President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday sought increased support from Australia across several key sectors, including energy security, skilled workforce migration, technical education, investment, and economic partnership.
The president made the remarks when Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban today, according to President's Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam.
During the meeting, the Australian High Commissioner conveyed greetings to President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on behalf of Australia's Governor-General, Ms Sam Mostyn AC, and handed over a formal greeting letter to him.
The president sincerely thanked the governor-general of Australia for the greetings.
The president sought Australia's cooperation to diversify Bangladesh's energy sources and create opportunities for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Australia.
He called for increased Australian investment across several sectors, including infrastructure, renewable energy, energy exploration, agro-processing, medical technology, logistics, and manufacturing.
The president expressed hope that the Senior Officials' Meeting and the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) meeting, scheduled to take place in Canberra next November, would play an important role in expanding trade and investment between the two nations.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam welcomed the opportunities in Australia for the migration of skilled professionals, particularly in the fields of information technology, engineering, and other technical areas.
Additionally, he requested Australia's ongoing support for scholarship and academic exchange programmes, as well as assistance in establishing a campus of the University of Canberra in Dhaka.
He also proposed expanding cooperation between Bangladesh's Technical Training Centres and Australia's Technical and Further Education institutions to develop job-oriented skilled manpower in Bangladesh. In this regard, he emphasised various technical training programmes, including caregiver training.
Referring to the Rohingya crisis, the president expressed gratitude to Australia for its continued humanitarian assistance in addressing the situation and called for Australia's ongoing cooperation in finding a sustainable solution to the problem.
He expressed hope that the Bangladesh-Australia partnership would place greater emphasis in the future on tangible economic opportunities, skill development, investment, and increased connectivity and mobility between the peoples of the two countries.
During the meeting, the high commissioner highlighted the country’s foreign exchange reserves in banks, tax reforms, judicial independence, and a positive regulatory environment regarding Australian business investment.
She also appreciated banking reforms in Bangladesh and expressed her country's interest in further strengthening Bangladesh-Australia cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
Present during the meeting were the President's Military Secretary, the Press Secretary, and an Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why it matters
The high-level diplomatic meeting strengthens bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Australia across strategic areas such as energy diversification, trade expansion, and educational partnerships.