Online Desk  :  Bangladesh and Egypt have agreed to establish a business forum for enhancing trade and commerce ties by facilitating greater private-sector engagement between the two countries. This was decided during the second bilateral Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Egypt held at the Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs at New Capital in Cairo on Thursday, according to a message received in Dhaka on Saturday. During the consultations, all aspects of bilateral relations in the sectors of political and economic cooperation, trade and investment, micro credit, education, agriculture, aquaculture, ship building, defence, people-to-people connectivity as well as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest were discussed.

The FOC provided an opportunity to explore the collaborations and all the potentials the two countries can offer to each other to enhance bilateral cooperation. Bangladesh’s foreign secretary Md. Jashim Uddin and Egypt’s Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheen led their respective delegations. At the FOC, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties based on age-old friendship and shared aspirations and underscored the importance of high-level political engagement and regular diplomatic consultations to advance bilateral interests.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food security, including agricultural research, irrigation technology, and sustainable farming practices. They emphasised expanding educational exchanges, scholarship opportunities and vocational training collaborations. The Egyptian assistant foreign minister assured that he would consider Bangladesh’s request to increase the number of scholarships for Bangladeshi students at Al-Azhar University.  Both agreed on the importance of promoting tourism, sports, cultural program and ease visa procedures to enhance people-to-people connectivity.

The delegations reviewed the progress of existing agreements and discussed the possibility of signing new Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to facilitate future cooperation. The two sides expressed solidarity with the Palestine people strongly supporting their right to self-determination and statehood and underlining the importance of regional peace and stability. The Rohingya issue was also on the agenda. Humanitarian aspects and sustainable solutions to the crisis were underlined. The foreign secretary underscored the need for continued global support for a sustainable resolution and informed the assistant foreign minister about the upcoming international conference on Rohingya.

Both the countries agreed to cooperate in multilateral forums, including the United Nations to support each other’s candidacy and emphasised for joint efforts in addressing climate change challenges. The two sides agreed to maintain regular high-level engagements and consultations to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. It was decided that the 3rd Bilateral Consultations will be held in Dhaka in 2026 at a mutually convenient time. On the same day, the foreign secretary had a meeting with Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Vice President Hani Mahmoud. At the discussions, emphasis was given to sign the already finalised MOU between Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Egyptian chamber. Both sides agreed to hold virtual meetings to explore further steps to enhance trade volume between the two countries.