Diplomatic Desk:
In addition to further strengthening the long-standing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Canada, emphasis has been placed on expanding trade and investment. On Wednesday (August 12, 2026), Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh discussed these issues during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman.
The meeting discussed further advancing the friendship and cooperation between the two countries that has lasted for more than five decades. Canada informed that the country has provided more than 6.3 billion US dollars in assistance to Bangladesh’s development in the last few decades. Of this, more than 600 million US dollars has been provided to deal with the Rohingya crisis since 2017.
The meeting placed special emphasis on further expanding Bangladesh-Canada bilateral trade ties. Noting that the bilateral trade volume of the two countries exceeded 4 billion US dollars in 2025, the two sides discussed ways to further expand the scope of trade and investment.
The discussions focused on deepening and diversifying cooperation in agriculture, energy, artificial intelligence (AI), education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), civil aviation, security and defense.
In addition, various issues of common interest including preventing fraud, curbing irregular migration, and expanding legal migration opportunities were discussed. Finding a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis also figured prominently in the meeting.
Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh reiterated his congratulations to Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as the President of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. At the same time, he reiterated Canada’s commitment to work closely with the UN to advance UN reforms and build a better future for the people of the world during his tenure.
The meeting expressed the determination to make the existing partnership more effective and diversified for the mutual benefit and prosperity of the two countries.
