Online Desk:  Bangladesh and Austria have agreed to conclude a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on “migration and mobility” soon to begin skill mobility from Bangladesh to Austria.

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud held a bilateral meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Monday and discussed the issue.

He particularly highlighted that ICT professionals from Bangladesh can contribute to Austrian companies, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, the Austrian foreign minister offered to take skilled workers from Bangladesh and invest in green energy, particularly wind and waste2energy sectors.

The two foreign ministers agreed to deepen bilateral relations in the fields of economic cooperation, trade and investment, migration and mobility, climate change, waste management, as well as post-graduation trade facilities for Bangladesh.

They also agreed that there are ample opportunities to increase bilateral trade and Austrian investment in Bangladesh.

Both the ministers underscored the importance of exchange of trade missions as well as early signing of the proposed agreement on the avoidance of double taxation in this regard.

The Austrian Foreign Minister agreed to send a trade mission to Bangladesh this autumn and explore opening a trade office in Dhaka.

The two foreign ministers also shared their views on regional developments in South Asia and Europe and beyond, including the situations in Myanmar, Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

Hasan urged the international community to help repatriate the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar for peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The foreign minister is on a two-day visit to Vienna at the invitation of the Austrian Foreign Minister to attend an international conference on Autonomous Weapon Systems.