Bangladesh-Thailand hold fourth foreign office consultations
Collected Photo
Bangladesh and Thailand held their fourth Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand today. The Bangladesh delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam while the Thai delegation was headed by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Eksiri Pintaruchi.
The consultations covered various aspects of bilateral relations, including trade and investment, connectivity, labor migration, energy, agriculture, cultural exchanges, education and training, defense, and climate change.
Expressing satisfaction with ongoing trade and investment cooperation, Bangladesh presented two specific proposals to reduce the trade deficit: importing more pharmaceuticals, jute and jute products from Bangladesh and reducing tariffs on these products to enhance their competitiveness in the Thai market. The Thai side expressed interest in considering the proposals and further expanding bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. The Thai delegation also called for the early launch of negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
On connectivity, both sides welcomed the launch of the first direct shipping service between Chattogram and Ranong ports in September 2026. The service is expected to reduce transportation time from around 15 days to just four days. This will lower logistics costs and accelerate bilateral trade.
Bangladesh called on Thailand to provide technical assistance and investment in the processing of Bangladeshi fruits and vegetables. It also requested technology transfer to support the global halal food market.
Under the Thai International Cooperation Agency (TICA) programme, Bangladesh requested professional training in hospitality, nursing, germplasm and food processing. Thailand also emphasized the importance of sharing its experience with the One Village One Product programme.
Both sides agreed to continue working on various memorandums of understanding (MoUs) under discussion, including those concerning rice imports and labor migration.
Both countries expressed satisfaction with ongoing energy cooperation. Referring to Bangladesh’s government target of generating at least 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, Bangladesh expressed interest in utilizing Thailand’s technical expertise and experience in generating electricity from agricultural residues and agro-industrial waste.
As Bangladesh and Thailand will celebrate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, both sides emphasized the importance of exchanges at the political level. They expressed hope that visits by the heads of government of both countries next year could serve as a special milestone in marking the anniversary.
Both countries agreed to undertake joint initiatives to promote cultural and sports exchanges. As part of these efforts, Bangladesh proposed exchanges of expertise in cricket and training, while Thailand offered opportunities for taekwondo training.
Regarding regional and multilateral cooperation, Bangladesh expressed appreciation for Thailand’s continued support for its aspiration to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The Bangladesh delegation sought Thailand’s support for the repatriation of displaced Rohingyas from Rakhine State in Myanmar.
Both sides acknowledged the growing threats posed by cross-border crimes, including human trafficking, arms smuggling, online scams and drug trafficking. In this context, they agreed to work together and consider forming a joint committee under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to taking bilateral relations to a higher level by expanding cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels.
