DHAKA: Pakistan and Bangladesh signed six agreements aimed at deepening cooperation in trade, diplomacy, media, culture, and academia, indicating an important step forward in their bilateral relations. The agreements were concluded during Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar’s two-day visit to Dhaka, the first by a Pakistani foreign minister in 13 years.
The visit, described by Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) as a “significant milestone,” comes amid a visible thaw in ties between the two countries following political changes in Bangladesh last year.
Furthermore, Dar and Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain, both leaders oversaw the signing of six “instruments of cooperation.”
These included an agreement on visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic and official passports, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishing a Joint Working Group on trade, and another MoU linking the foreign service academies of both nations.
In addition, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) formalized a framework for media cooperation. In this sense. academic institutions, including the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, signed an MoU, while a cultural exchange programme was also agreed upon.
“These agreements will institutionalise and further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including economics, training of diplomats, academic and cultural exchanges, and media collaboration,” the FO said in a statement.
The discussions in Dhaka covered a wide range of issues.
According to the FO, both delegations reviewed “the entire gamut of bilateral relations” in a constructive and cordial atmosphere. Topics included high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, education, and connectivity.
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Moreover, regional and international matters, such as the revitalisation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), as well as the Palestine and Rohingya situations, were also discussed.
