Bangladesh and South Korea have agreed to expand their bilateral relations and explore the possibility of forming a strategic partnership.
The decision came during the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in Seoul on Tuesday.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Dr Md Nazrul Islam, while Park Yoonjoo, first vice minister of Foreign Affairs in South Korea headed the Korean side.
The discussions were held in a friendly and constructive environment, with both sides reviewing cooperation in various sectors such as politics, trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, and human resource development through Korea's Employment Permit System (EPS).
Other areas included the possible relocation of Korean electronics and semiconductor factories to Bangladesh, education and training, and climate change cooperation. The Rohingya refugee issue and regional security were also discussed.
Both countries looked back on progress made since the third round of consultations in Dhaka in 2022 and identified new opportunities in areas like science and technology, artificial intelligence, clean energy, fisheries, biotechnology, agricultural modernisation, and upgrading marine ports and shipyards.
The two sides agreed to strengthen political trust and align their development goals. South Korea confirmed its continued support for Bangladesh’s infrastructure development through EDCF, KOICA and EDPF funding.
South Korea also expressed willingness to help Bangladeshi industries grow by encouraging Korean companies to expand their production chains in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh requested more collaboration in human resource development, regular labour migration under the EPS, and educational and technical training, especially in STEM and vocational education (TVET).
South Korea praised Bangladesh for sheltering Rohingya refugees and promised to support both their humanitarian needs and efforts for their safe return to Myanmar.
Both countries agreed on the need for high-level visits between their leaders in the near future to move towards a strategic partnership.
They also discussed global and regional issues and reaffirmed their commitment to working together on multilateral platforms.
The consultations ended with a shared goal to make better use of each other’s resources and strengths for the benefit of both countries.
At the conclusion, Secretary Nazrul Islam thanked Vice Minister Park Yoonjoo for the warm hospitality and expressed hope for even stronger ties in the future.
MSK/
