The government is keen to take the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia to a new level, said Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Abdul Moin Khan. He emphasized expanding cooperation between the two countries in areas including manpower export, renewable energy, infrastructure, education, healthcare and trade.

The issues were discussed at a meeting with Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Shuhada Osman at the Secretariat on Sunday (August 30). State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam was also present.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Malaysian High Commissioner expressed satisfaction over the success of the recent visit to Malaysia by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The two sides then discussed various aspects of bilateral relations in detail.

The meeting particularly focused on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh to Malaysia, registration of undocumented workers, employment opportunities for Bangladeshi engineers in Malaysia, construction of hospitals through joint initiatives, expanding higher education opportunities for Bangladeshi students, investment in renewable energy and cooperation in the production of sports equipment.

They also discussed strengthening economic ties in several sectors, including electric vehicle imports, construction and halal food.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said Malaysia has expressed interest in recruiting around 200,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next six months. Of them, around 10,000 workers may get the opportunity to travel without recruitment costs, he said.

The state minister further said around 800,000 registered Bangladeshi workers are currently employed in Malaysia. The process of sending additional workers from Bangladesh and registering undocumented Bangladeshi workers already living in Malaysia is also underway. The registration process may begin toward the end of September, according to the meeting.

Both sides expressed interest in transforming the long-standing friendly relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia into a more effective economic partnership.

Secretary of the Local Government Division Md. Shahidul Hasan and senior officials of the ministry were also present at the meeting.