Dhaka-KL agreed to address people`s irregular movement problem

Bangladesh and Malaysia have agreed to address the problem of irregular movement of people.

The consensus was reached in a meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Alin and his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Haji Aman in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, according to a message received here today, reports BSS.

"The two ministers agreed to closely work together for the permanent solution of the protracted problem," the message said.

The Bangladesh foreign minister is now in Kuala Lumpur on a two-day visit in connection with the 22nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers` Meeting.

The two foreign ministers discussed in detail the root cause of the irregular movement of people, which is the continuous persecution of Rohingya ethnic minority people being carried out in the Rakhaine state of Myanmar.

Ali thanked his Malaysian counterpart for his help and assistance towards repatriation of the irregular migrants of Bangladesh.

The Malaysian foreign minister also thanked his Bangladesh counterpart for taking quick action on taking back its Bangladeshi nationals.

The two foreign ministers also discussed the status of recruitment of Bangladeshi workers on both G2G and B2B basis and felt the need for taking more positive measures to smoothen the process.

The Malaysian foreign minister expressed his deep satisfaction at the existing friendly bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia and hoped that the relations would be further strengthened in the years to come.

Besides, the Bangladesh foreign minister also met the foreign minister of Norway, the state ministers for foreign affairs of Japan and India to discuss various bilateral and regional issues on Wednesday.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende highly praised Bangladesh`s economic development and social progress, especially attaining the MDG goals under the able and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He showed his keen interest in Bangladesh`s relations with its neighbors and the role of Bangladesh in bringing shared prosperity within the region.

The Norwegian foreign minister expressed his satisfaction at the present state of investment and ODA to which the Bangladesh Foreign Minister concurred and added that the two countries should take this relation further ahead.

During his meeting with the Bangladesh foreign minister, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kiuchi Minoru expressed his deep satisfaction at the comprehensive partnership with Bangladesh.

He mentioned about the various ongoing projects as well as the upcoming prospective 36th loan package.

The two ministers hoped that the bilateral relations would be taken to a new height in the coming days through regular interactions.

Apart from the bilateral meetings, the Bangladesh foreign minister also discussed the latest status of bilateral relations with Indian State Minister for External Affairs General (retd) V.K. Singh.

They particularly discussed the recent implementation process of the Land Boundary Agreement and connectivity between the two neighboring countries.

The Bangladesh foreign minister ended his busy day through joining all the ASEAN and other participating Foreign Ministers in a gala dinner followed by vibrant cultural show.

Ali is scheduled to make his statement at the plenary of the ARF Foreign Ministers` Meeting and also join the ministerial retreat today.