Bangladesh to cooperate with Malaysia on investigation of its nationals on terror activity

The agreement was made during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan on the sidelines of the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

The Foreign Adviser expressed his concerns with the arrests of Bangladeshi nationals over allegations of terrorism. He reiterated the firm stand of the Government against terrorism and sought Malaysia's cooperation in its own investigation into the allegations through exchange of information and findings. The Malaysian Foreign Minister assured to facilitate access and cooperation with the Bangladesh authorities, the statement said.

Earlier, the Foreign Advisor met with the UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, where the two leaders held discussions on diverse bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues. Both sides discussed, among others, the ongoing reforms in Bangladesh, the Rohingya crisis, and post-LDC graduation support, among other topics, it said.

The Foreign Adviser also called on Winston Peters, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Hon Vijitha Herath, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, and Park Yoonjoo, the Vice Minister and Head of Delegation of the Republic of Korea, where a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues were discussed.

Bangladesh became a member of ARF in 2006, a forum established in the early nineties to promote confidence and trust among its 27 members, which include countries in the broader Asia-Pacific region.

At present, Bangladesh is co-chairing two of the ARF priority areas, "Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime" and "Disaster Relief." The next session of the ARF Ministerial Meeting is scheduled to take place in Manila in 2026.

In the afternoon, the Foreign Adviser delivered the national statement at the Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, where he called for greater attention to the Rohingya crisis and consideration of its national and regional security implications.

The Foreign Adviser also urged the ASEAN members to positively consider Bangladesh's bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner, the statement said.

The Foreign Adviser was accompanied Md Shameem Ahsan, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Malaysia, Md Forhadul Islam, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of the Bangladesh Government. (ANI)