Dhaka, 06 April 2018: “Bangladesh and Azerbaijan have the opportunity to explore further economic and trade cooperation building on the sound momentum in our bilateral political ties,” said Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs at a bilateral meeting with Elmar Oglu Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan here today.

The meeting took place on the sideline of the 18th NAM Mid-term Ministerial Meeting in Baku on 5-6 April 2018.

The two Ministers agreed to further expedite the conclusion of the bilateral agreements on protection of investment and avoidance of double taxation. They also agreed to work on creating an institutional mechanism to conduct high-level Foreign Office consultations on a regular basis.

State Minister Shahriar Alam requested the Azerbaijan authorities to favourably consider the product registration applications by two pharmaceutical companies from Bangladesh. The two Ministers agreed that bilateral Business Forums can help promote further contacts between the private sectors of the two countries, including in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The Azerbaijan Foreign Minister enquired about preparations for the meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in Dhaka from 05-06 May 2018. He said he looked forward to attending the meeting.

State Minister Shahriar Alam thanked Azerbaijan as Chair of the NAM Ministerial Meeting for facilitating the adoption of a short consensus text on the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in the final outcome document.

The two Ministers exchanged views on the latest situation with the possibility of return of the Rohingya to Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They stressed the need for NAM and OIC to remain seized with the situation of refugees and internally displaced peoples in their respective Member States.

The Azerbaijan Minister sought Bangladesh’s support for Baku’s bid to host the World Expo 2025.

The Bangladesh State Minister also had a meeting with Mr. Anvar Bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE in the morning. The UAE State Minister acknowledged Bangladesh’s role in dealing with the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, and assured of his county’s continued support.

The two Ministers discussed issues concerning visa facilitation for Bangladeshi expatriate workers in the UAE. The UAE Minister reiterated the interest of his country’s private sector to recruit Bangladeshi workers in certain sectors.

State Minister Alam held separate bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Libya. They exchanged views on a range of issues of bilateral interest.

The NAM Ministerial Meeting was concluded in the afternoon with the adoption of the Baku Declaration and the Final Document. The host Government of Azerbaijan announced their decision to host the 18th NAM Summit in Baku in 2019.

Md. Tohidul Islam
Senior Information Officer
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mob: 01718543625
Email: islamtohidul76@gmail.com