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Bangladesh and Algeria have held their first high-level bilateral talks on energy cooperation, exploring short- and long-term partnerships in crude oil, LNG, natural gas supplies, investment and technical cooperation as Dhaka seeks to diversify its sources of energy imports.
The landmark virtual meeting, initiated by Bangladesh and held on Thursday morning Bangladesh time, brought together senior officials and representatives of key energy-sector entities from the two countries.
Bangladesh Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood and Algerian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Mohamed Arkab led their respective delegations.
Bangladesh Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md Ziaul Haque, Petrobangla Chairman Md Abdul Mannan, Bangladesh Ambassador to Algeria Md Najmul Huda and Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s African Wing ATM Abdur Rouf Mondol, among others, joined the meeting.
The talks come as Bangladesh faces growing pressure to ensure reliable and affordable energy supplies amid heightened geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global energy markets.
Over the past six months, the conflict involving Iran and the resulting tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have increased uncertainty in international energy trade. The situation has also raised concerns over LNG supplies from Qatar, one of the world’s major LNG exporters.
Against this backdrop, the Bangladesh side highlighted the country’s growing energy demand and stressed the strategic importance of diversifying crude oil, LNG and gas imports beyond traditional sources in the Middle East.
Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said Bangladesh was placing greater emphasis on engagement with African countries, recognising the continent’s growing importance in the changing global economic and geopolitical landscape under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Dhaka expressed strong interest in establishing a government-to-government framework for energy cooperation with Algeria and invited an Algerian technical delegation to visit Bangladesh at the earliest opportunity to begin formal negotiations.
The two sides agreed to intensify technical-level discussions. Working groups from Bangladesh and Algeria are expected to hold a series of meetings on energy cooperation next week.
Officials are also considering a reciprocal visit by either the Bangladesh delegation to Algeria or an Algerian delegation to Dhaka, with the aim of signing a memorandum of understanding and subsequently developing longer-term energy supply and cooperation arrangements.
The Algerian side welcomed Bangladesh’s proposal for closer cooperation and said it would review the draft MoU and provide feedback at the earliest opportunity.
Algeria is a major hydrocarbon producer with substantial oil and natural gas reserves and has been seeking to expand its export markets while attracting investment across the energy value chain.
The country has also highlighted its LNG export capacity and the ongoing development of upstream and downstream gas infrastructure.
Algeria’s importance as an energy supplier has increased amid Europe’s efforts to diversify gas supplies and reduce exposure to vulnerable maritime routes.
According to data cited by Euronews, Algeria supplied around 39-40 billion cubic metres of gas to the European Union in 2025, accounting for roughly 13-14 per cent of the bloc’s total imports. Most Algerian gas reaches Europe through pipelines, including the TransMed pipeline to Italy and Medgaz to Spain, while Algeria also exports LNG.
The country’s geographical position gives it an advantage in supplying European markets without relying entirely on LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Algeria is also seeking to increase production. Algerian Energy and Mines Minister Mohamed Arkab said in 2025 that the country planned to invest around US$60 billion in energy projects between 2025 and 2029.
Beyond conventional hydrocarbons, Algeria is developing renewable energy and green hydrogen projects as part of its broader energy transition.
For Bangladesh, closer engagement with Algeria could provide another avenue for securing energy supplies and reducing dependence on a limited number of sources.
Both sides described Thursday’s discussions as frank, constructive and forward-looking and acknowledged significant untapped potential in bilateral energy cooperation.
The two countries agreed to maintain sustained technical-level engagement to translate the initial political understanding into concrete cooperation in energy supply, investment, infrastructure and technical collaboration.
For Dhaka, the initiative comes at a time when energy security has become increasingly linked to geopolitical developments, global supply disruptions and the need to secure more diversified sources of fuel. For Algiers, stronger engagement with Bangladesh could open a new market in South Asia while creating opportunities for investment and broader economic cooperation.
