I am delighted to meet my esteemed friends from Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur. They are H.E. Ashik Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, and Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman, an illustrious diplomat and the newly elected 81st President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Both of them are part of Bangladesh Prime Minister H.E. Tarique Rahman’s entourage on his official visit to Malaysia. It’s a great honour for Malaysia to be the first-ever country that H.E. Tarique Rahman chose to visit in his capacity as Prime Minister.
Bangladesh, a neighbour of ASEAN, provide us with many workers who understand Malaysia quite well. Their contributions are much appreciated.
Both countries could achieve a lot more together, especially in economic cooperation. Our economies are complementary in nature. Malaysian companies should invest more in Bangladesh, instead of us just importing workers from there.
As Bangladesh finds its new footing, and if it manages to grow rapidly from the current low base, as the country with 170 million people, it will be an important consumer market of the future.
It is my long-held personal view that in the new geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape, ASEAN should seriously consider inviting Bangladesh into its fold.
