The second Bilateral Consultations between the Foreign Offices of Bangladesh and Egypt took place on Thursday (06 February 2025) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at New Capital, Cairo. During the consultations, all aspects of bilateral relations in the sectors of political & economic cooperation, trade & investment, micro credit, education, agriculture, aquaculture, ship building, defence, people-to- people connectivity as well as well as regional & global issues of mutual interest were discussed.
The FOC provided an opportunity to explore the collaborations & all potentials the two countries can offer to each other to enhance bilateral cooperation.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Amb Md. Jashim Uddin, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, while the Egyptian delegation was headed by H.E. Mr. Ahmed Shaheen, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt.
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 countries stressed the importance of facilitating greater private sector engagement and agreed to establish a Business Forum.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food security including agricultural research, irrigation technology, and sustainable farming practices. Both sides emphasised on 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 in Al Azhar University.
The two sides agreed on the importance of promoting tourism, sports, cultural program and ease visa procedures to enhance people-to-people connectivity.
Both delegations reviewed the progress of existing agreements and discussed the possibility of signing new Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to facilitate future cooperation.
Both 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. Rohingya issue was also in the agenda. Humanitarian aspects and sustainable solutions of the crisis were underlined. 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 emphasized 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 the Vice President of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Mr Hani Mahmoud. At the discussions, emphasis was given to sign already finalized MOU between Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry & Egyptian Chamber. The both sides agreed to hold virtual meetings to explore further steps to enhance trade volume between two countries.
