Dhaka, 28 July 2022:

The 2^nd Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) Meeting between Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates (UAE) was held in hotel Royal Tulip in Inani, Cox’s Bazar on 28 July 2022. Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Ambassador Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh delegation while the UAE delegation was led by H.E. Dr. Abdul Nasser Jamal Al Shaali, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs of UAE. The meeting was held in a cordial environment.

During the meeting, the two delegations took stock and reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation. The issues that came up for discussion covered were enhanced commerce and trade, increased investment from the UAE side in the exclusive economic zones, human resource development, people to people contact, visa facilitation/ waiver for diplomats/ officials between the countries, collaboration on food security, energy and power, civil aviation, blue economy, climate change, etc. Both sides expressed their resolve to further consolidating the existing bond of friendship and to take them to new heights. The two sides also touched on roadmap for future cooperation agenda, including high-level visits to mark the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh-UAE Diplomatic Relations in 2024. The two delegations also took notes of and exchanged views on developments in the regional and global arena.

Foreign secretary apprised the UAE Assistant Minister of Bangladesh’s remarkable progress in socio-economic sectors, robust economic growth as well as agricultural advancement in achieving food security. The UAE Assistant Minister highly appreciated Bangladesh’s significant economic growth and congratulated the country’s leadership for the completion of the Padma Bridge at domestic finance. The UAE delegation leader expressed solidarity with Bangladesh side for a durable and rapid solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis.

The first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) Meeting between the countries was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in February 2019. The meeting coincided the 12^th Bi-Annual meeting of the Committee of the Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) of which Bangladesh and UAE are members.