Australia pledges support for free, fair election in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is moving towards a democratic transition through a credible, transparent and reliable parliamentary election, with Australia prepared to support expatriate Bangladeshis in casting their votes in next year's polls, according to Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary of the South and Central Asia Division at Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
She made these remarks at the sixth round of Senior Officials' Talks (SOT) between Bangladesh and Australia, held in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Storey reiterated Australia's continued support for the Interim Government and its reform initiatives. She said that Australia looks forward to a free and fair election and confirmed that Canberra will provide full assistance to Bangladeshi expatriates for postal voting.
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Highlighting the priority areas in Australia's engagement with Bangladesh, Storey underscored the importance of expanding people-to-people linkages, boosting trade and investment, strengthening development partnerships, supporting Bangladesh in managing the Rohingya crisis, enhancing defence and security cooperation, and advancing Indo-Pacific collaboration. Australia also conveyed its intention to prioritise Bangladesh as a secondary manufacturing location for its cotton and wool industries.
Ambassador Dr Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary (Bilateral – East and West) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Sarah Storey led their respective delegations.
Held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, the talks featured constructive and forward-looking exchanges across a wide spectrum of bilateral issues, including sectoral cooperation, trade and investment, development partnerships, migration and mobility, maritime affairs, multilateral engagement, climate change, and people-to-people ties.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the Indo-Pacific, IORA engagement, and the Rohingya situation. The delegations identified new avenues for cooperation in renewable energy, skills partnerships, technology sharing, the blue economy, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and anti-money laundering initiatives.
Secretary Nazrul Islam proposed resuming Work and Holiday visas for Bangladeshis in Australia, employing Bangladeshi-specified skilled workers in the Australian mining sector, establishing a University of Canberra campus in Dhaka, and enhancing collaboration between Australian TAFE institutions and Bangladesh's TVET sector.
He emphasised the importance of increased high-level visits to advance the growing partnership between the two countries.
The talks concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the employment of dependants of diplomatic and consular personnel between Bangladesh and Australia.
The visiting Australian delegation arrived in Dhaka on 9 December and will attend the Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment Meeting under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) today at the Ministry of Commerce. The seventh Senior Officials' Talks (SOT) is expected to be held in Canberra next year.
