Online Report
Bangladesh and Kuwait have agreed to boost cooperation across a wide range of areas, including political, economic, defence, labour and cultural sectors, during their first-ever round of political consultations held on Sunday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Dr Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary (Bilateral) at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat, Kuwait’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs.
Both sides reviewed ongoing defence cooperation, particularly Bangladesh’s involvement in Operation Kuwait Punargathan and committed to expanding collaboration in military training, disaster response and cyber security.
Labour and manpower cooperation featured prominently, with discussions on finalising pending Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in line with Kuwait Vision 2035.
Bangladesh also urged Kuwait to further facilitate labour market access for Bangladeshi workers.
To strengthen economic ties, both sides agreed to reactivate the Joint Trade Committee and to organise a Bangladesh–Kuwait Business Forum in 2026.
Emphasis was placed on increasing bilateral trade and investment in sectors such as energy, ICT, infrastructure and halal food.
Bangladesh invited Kuwaiti investors to explore opportunities in its Special Economic Zones and Hi-Tech Parks.
The consultations, held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, reaffirmed the long-standing friendship between the two nations, which dates back to Kuwait’s early recognition of Bangladesh in 1973 and its support for Bangladesh’s entry into the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 1974.
Both sides welcomed continued assistance from Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and agreed to explore new collaboration in renewable energy, climate-resilient infrastructure and aviation connectivity.
On the cultural front, they agreed to promote education and people-to-people exchanges, including the signing of an MoU between the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy and Kuwait’s Diplomatic Institute. The diplomatic land plot exchange process was also discussed with a view to expediting it.
The two countries reaffirmed their cooperation in multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and OIC.
Bangladesh thanked Kuwait for its continued support for the Rohingya humanitarian response and also pledged its backing for Kuwait’s candidatures to UNESCO, the UN Human Rights Council and International Atomic Energy Agency.