Bangladesh, Algeria agree to expand energy and trade cooperation
Photo: Facebook/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Bangladesh and Algeria agreed to increase cooperation in various sectors, including energy, fertilizer, agriculture, textiles, and trade on Thursday.
A new possibility emerged for importing liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and other petroleum products from Algeria through a government-to-government (G2G) process.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir held a bilateral meeting with Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf in Algiers. Various bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of mutual interest to both countries were discussed in the meeting.
They discussed various ways to increase trade and investment in the energy sector. Humaiun expressed satisfaction over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector between Bangladesh and Algeria.
This MoU created an opportunity to import LNG, LPG, and other petroleum products from Algeria to meet Bangladesh’s energy demand. Alongside this, possibilities also opened up for working jointly on the development of Bangladesh’s refineries and LNG infrastructure, as well as coal and gas field exploration.
Algerian Petroleum Institute expressed interest in providing training and knowledge exchange to build skilled manpower in Bangladesh’s energy sector. The institute wanted to train Bangladeshi engineers and technicians. Through this, the path to achieving Bangladesh’s self-reliance in the energy sector could become even smoother.
Attaf said considering Bangladesh’s energy demand, the country’s president gave immediate instructions to sign the MoU on a priority basis.
Humaiun highlighted Bangladesh’s need for fertilizer for agricultural production. In response, Attaf added that his country is interested in working with Bangladesh in the fertilizer sector.
Attaf also expressed interest in utilizing Bangladesh’s experience to revitalize Algeria’s textile industry. He wanted to expand cooperation with Bangladesh in the pharmaceutical, leather, and textile sectors.
Discussions were also held on expanding cooperation in education, people-to-people contact, and other potential sectors. They emphasized the importance of holding regular foreign office consultations between the two countries. The next round of this meeting is scheduled to be held soon in Dhaka.
