Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has invited experienced and leading Swedish companies to invest in oil and gas exploration in Bangladesh’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Bay of Bengal.

He made the invitation during a courtesy meeting with Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks at the Speaker’s office in the National Parliament on Sunday (October 25).

The meeting discussed strengthening parliamentary relations between Bangladesh and Sweden, forming parliamentary friendship groups, expanding trade and investment, and exploring bilateral cooperation in sports, culture and other areas of mutual interest.

Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said Sweden had long been one of Bangladesh’s trusted development partners. Praising Sweden’s parliamentary system, he noted similarities between the country’s unicameral representative democracy and Bangladesh’s parliamentary structure.

He said the formation of a parliamentary friendship group between the two countries could play an important role in promoting and strengthening parliamentary democracy in both nations.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s commitment to democracy, the Speaker said the people of the country had consistently stood at the forefront of struggles to establish democratic rights. He also referred to the 2024 mass uprising, saying students and people from all walks of life had brought an end to the previous authoritarian rule.

On the future of parliamentary democracy, the Speaker said efforts were underway to ensure an environment in which people could freely vote for their preferred political parties and candidates. He stressed that the exercise of voting rights was fundamental to parliamentary democracy.

Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks outlined Sweden’s parliamentary system, stating that the Swedish Parliament has 349 seats, with members elected directly by the people for four-year terms.

He explained that although Sweden is formally a constitutional monarchy, political and administrative powers are exercised by Parliament and the elected government.

During the meeting, the Speaker also briefed the ambassador on the activities and progress of the ongoing Constitutional Reform Committee. Both sides emphasised the importance of establishing parliamentary friendship groups and caucuses to deepen ties between the two legislatures.

They also discussed opportunities to increase Swedish investment in Bangladesh, particularly in the exploration and extraction of oil and gas resources in the Bay of Bengal.

Senior officials from the Swedish Embassy and relevant officials of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, including its Secretary, Barrister Md. Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, were present at the meeting.