Emphasis on strengthening trade, skills development and research cooperation with Australia

At a meeting held at the Ministry of Commerce in the Secretariat on Thursday, detailed discussions were held on deepening the economic relations between the two countries, including enhancing trade negotiation capacity, research cooperation, education, agriculture, livestock, and investment, among various sectors of mutual cooperation. Commerce Secretary Md. Ataur Rahman Khan was present at the meeting.

At the meeting, the Commerce Minister said that the government is planning to adopt long-term and institutional training programs to increase the skills of government officials in international trade, especially in World Trade Organization (WTO) law and trade negotiations. To achieve this goal, an initiative has been taken to establish a research and study center, which is planned to be developed as a center for knowledge and skills exchange at the regional level in the future.

He further said that the skills of Project Directors are crucial for the successful implementation of the country's development projects. For this purpose, initiatives are being taken to launch specialized training programs to enhance their capabilities.

In response, Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle said that Australia is interested in cooperating in such long-term capacity development programs. She said that although training activities were conducted in an isolated manner in the past, discussions are underway to adopt more planned and consistent programs this time. These programs will include trade negotiations, legal aspects of international treaties, and policy-making skill development. She also mentioned the possibility of involving other development partner organizations in this initiative.

The discussion also exchanged views on Bangladesh's trade benefits after graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, Bangladesh's position in the international trading system, and access to future markets. Both sides emphasized continuing regular dialogue on these matters.

The Australian High Commissioner said that the current volume of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Australia is about US$5.5 billion, which is consistently increasing. She said new opportunities for cooperation have emerged in sectors such as education, transnational education, renewable energy, agriculture, food processing, and business investment.

She also informed that an Australian business delegation is planning to visit Bangladesh soon, which will play an important role in expanding trade and investment between the two countries. In addition, discussions were held on the possibility of exporting high-quality beef from Australia to Bangladesh and cooperation in developing halal certification, animal traceability, and modern livestock management.

At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed their commitment to elevate the Bangladesh-Australia relationship to a more multidimensional, sustainable, and strategic level.