Bangladesh and Pakistan began their Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Thursday morning, as the two South Asian nations seek to strengthen bilateral ties.
The meeting started at the State Guest House Padma around 10 am, with Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch leading their respective delegations.
This FOC marks the first such meeting between the two countries since 2010.
Director-general of the South Asia Wing at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ishrat Jahan, along with the high commissioners of both countries, also attended the meeting.
Pakistan initiated the consultations as part of its efforts to enhance relations with Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Bangladesh later this month, marking the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister since 2012.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said discussions will cover all areas of mutual interest.
Both countries recently expressed satisfaction over growing trade ties, including visits by Pakistani trade delegations to Bangladesh, and stressed the importance of reciprocal visits.
Cooperation in tourism, cultural exchange, people-to-people contact, Rohingya issues, and collaboration in international forums will also be discussed.
The visit follows previous high-level meetings between leaders of both nations, including on the sidelines of the D-8 Summit in Cairo, the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in 2024.
Bd-pratidin English/ FNC
