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Ahmadul Kabir, Kuala Lumpur: Bangladesh is seeking to deepen relations and expand cooperation with Malaysia’s Sabah state in trade, investment, agriculture, education, skills development, tourism, deep-sea fishing and the blue economy.
The two sides have also discussed facilitating travel to Sabah for Bangladeshi citizens and easing existing barriers faced by Bangladeshi businesspeople, professionals, academics and tourists visiting the Malaysian state.
The issues came up during a series of meetings held by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury with senior Sabah officials this week.
On August 13, the High Commissioner paid a courtesy visit to Sabah Governor Tun Datuk Seri Panglima (Dr) Musa bin Haji Aman at his official residence, Istana Seri Kinabalu, in Kota Kinabalu.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on strengthening trade and investment ties and identifying new areas of practical cooperation between Bangladesh and Sabah.
The discussions covered initiatives to expand bilateral trade, joint exchanges, agricultural cooperation, educational and academic exchanges, skills development, tourism, deep-sea fishing and the blue economy.
The High Commissioner stressed the importance of establishing stronger institutional links between business communities and chambers of commerce in Bangladesh and Sabah.
He also proposed greater exchanges of business delegations and closer cooperation between relevant institutions to identify investment and commercial opportunities.
Both sides expressed interest in exploring new areas of cooperation to strengthen economic relations and people-to-people connectivity.
Bangladesh seeks easier travel to Sabah
The High Commissioner specifically raised the issue of difficulties faced by Bangladeshi citizens travelling to Sabah.
He sought the governor’s support in facilitating travel for Bangladeshi businesspeople, professionals, academics and tourists, saying greater mobility could help strengthen commercial, educational and people-to-people exchanges.
He also sought the governor’s advice and cooperation regarding Bangladesh’s proposal to establish an Honorary Consulate in Sabah.
The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. At the end of the meeting, the two sides exchanged commemorative gifts, while the High Commissioner handed over a gift from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to the Sabah governor.
Head of Chancery at the Bangladesh High Commission Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya and First Secretary (Commercial) Pranab Kumar Ghosh attended the meeting.
High Commissioner meets Sabah state secretary
As part of the continued engagement, the High Commissioner also met Sabah State Secretary YB Datuk Zainudin bin Aman on August 14 at the Sabah State Government Secretariat in Kota Kinabalu.
According to the Sabah State Government, the meeting focused on matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen relations and cooperation between Bangladesh and the Sabah state government.
The two sides discussed ways to make their existing friendly relations more effective and extensive, while emphasising the importance of developing new avenues for cooperation and maintaining communication between relevant institutions.
Sabah, one of Malaysia’s strategically important states, has considerable economic potential in sectors including tourism, agriculture, fisheries, natural resources and human capital development.
For Bangladesh, closer engagement with the state could create new opportunities for trade and investment while expanding cooperation in tourism, education, skills development and the blue economy.
The growing engagement also comes as Bangladesh seeks to diversify and deepen its economic and commercial relations with Malaysia beyond traditional areas of cooperation.
Stronger links between business communities, educational institutions and other stakeholders in Bangladesh and Sabah could facilitate investment, trade, skills development and greater movement of people between the two sides.
The consecutive meetings between the Bangladesh High Commissioner and Sabah’s governor and state secretary are expected to provide fresh momentum to Bangladesh-Sabah relations and help translate the growing interest into practical cooperation across a range of sectors.
Photo captions:
1–2. Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury pays a courtesy visit to Sabah Governor Tun Datuk Seri Panglima (Dr) Musa bin Haji Aman at Istana Seri Kinabalu on August 13.
3–4. Bangladesh High Commissioner Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury meets Sabah State Secretary YB Datuk Zainudin bin Aman at the Sabah State Government Secretariat in Kota Kinabalu on August 14.