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The Sixth round of Foreign Secretary Level Bilateral Consultations (FSLC) between Bangladesh and Pakistan was held in Dhaka on Thursday, according to a release from Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, led the Bangladesh delegation, while the Pakistan side was led by Ambassador Amna Baloch, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. The consultations were held in a cordial atmosphere reflecting the existing relations between the two countries. The Foreign Secretary of Pakistan also met with the Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, and the Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Md. Touhid Hossain. During the consultations, the entire spectrum of bilateral relations was discussed. The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh expressed satisfaction with the recent interactions between the leaders of the two countries on different occasions, particularly the meetings between the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Mohamad Yunus and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UNGA and D-8 Summit, the release stated. He also looked forward to the upcoming visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, to Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations based on mutual respect, understanding, and shared interests. Potential areas for further cooperation and ways and means to intensify cooperation were discussed, particularly in the areas of trade and commerce, investment, connectivity, agriculture, education, human resource development, climate change, culture and tourism, the release stated. Possibilities of cooperation in the regional organisations as well as in the UN and other multilateral fora were also discussed. Bangladesh's side stressed to work together to fully realise the untapped potential of their bilateral ties. The Foreign Secretary emphasized the significance of the economic, trade, and commercial ties between the two countries and recalled the commitment made at the Fifth round of FSLC to intensify efforts to increase the volume of bilateral trade to USD 1 billion per annum, which is yet to be realised. He also discussed measures to improve market access, streamline trade processes, and reduce tariff barriers to overcome the existing trade imbalance and enhance the export of Bangladeshi products to the Pakistani market. He stressed that the private sector and the Chambers of Commerce of the two countries have an important role to play in this regard, the release stated. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary expressed happiness that 9th meeting of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) is going to be held in Islamabad at the soonest. The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh highlighted the numerous promising sectors in Bangladesh, including Jute and Textile Mills for Investment and Joint ventures by the Pakistani investors. He also highlighted the facilities and incentives offered by Bangladesh to foreign investors. The Foreign Secretary expressed satisfaction with the MoU signed in January 2025 between the two Governments through which Bangladesh will procure rice on a G2G basis from Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation in the agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors. Cooperation for strengthening connectivity and people-to-people contacts also featured in the discussion. It was noted that progress has been made in simplifying visa processes, improving maritime connectivity through direct shipping between Karachi and Chattogram Ports, and resuming air connectivity. Recognising the vast untapped potential in the fields of higher education, scientific research, and technology transfer, the Foreign Secretary emphasised the need for increased collaboration in these areas. The Foreign Secretary also emphasised promoting cultural exchanges by facilitating visits of artists, painters, musicians, singers, academics, and writers between the two countries. The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh raised the long-standing historic issues, namely, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, division of assets, transfer of foreign aid that was meant for the cyclone victims of 1970, apology for the genocide committed by the then Pakistan Armed Forces in 1971 and war reparation. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary called for the early resolution of historic outstanding issues to create the foundation of sound, solid and robust bilateral relations, the release stated. The Foreign Secretary of Pakistan extended an invitation to the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh to visit Islamabad for the Seventh round of the Foreign Secretary Level Bilateral Consultations, the release added. (ANI)
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