Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday emphasised strengthening relations with Pakistan to boost mutual cooperation and explore trade and business potentials.
The chief adviser made the emphasis when Pakistan foreign secretary Amna Baloch met him at the State Guest Jamuna in Dhaka.
鈥楾here are certain hurdles. We have to find ways to overcome those and move forward,鈥� he told Baloch, the first Pakistani foreign secretary to visit Bangladesh in 15 years.
Acknowledging past issues, Baloch said Bangladesh and Pakistan must find ways to 鈥榟arness the potential between the two countries.鈥�
鈥榃e have a huge intramarket potential on our own rights, and we should use it,鈥� Baloch said. 鈥榃e can鈥檛 miss the bus every time.鈥�
She said there was the need for regular business-to-business (B2B) interactions between the private sectors of two countries and exchanging visits at all levels.
In January 2025, a delegation of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry 聽visited Bangladesh and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI).
The Pakistan foreign secretary hoped that the upcoming visit of the country鈥檚 deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar at the end of April would further boost relations between the two countries.
Chief adviser Professor Yunus said he always preferred closer ties with neighboring countries, including Pakistan, in the framework of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
He said Bangladesh and Pakistan should exchange more youth and cultural programs between the two countries to increase the people-to-people bonding.
鈥榃e kept missing each other for a long time as our relationship was frozen. We have to overcome the barriers,鈥� he said.
The chief adviser recalled his meeting with Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the 79th UNGA in September 2024 and in Cairo on the sidelines of the D-8 Summit in December 2024, saying that they were key in making progress in bilateral relations.
He said Bangladesh and Pakistan would continue to work closely at multilateral and regional forums like SAARC, OIC and D-8.
Senior secretary on SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed and Pakistan high commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof were, among others, present.
