State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir today expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to elevate trade relations with Indonesia towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to further deepen and diversify bilateral economic ties.

He expressed the readiness when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Listyowati paid a courtesy call on him at his office here, according to a foreign ministry press release.

During the meeting, Humaiun urged Indonesia to increase imports of Bangladeshi products and services, stressing the need to unlock the potential of bilateral trade through greater diversification.

The state minister also sought increased Indonesian investment in Bangladesh and discussed prospects for expanding economic cooperation, including in the energy sector.

The Indonesian ambassador reaffirmed her support for efforts to diversify Bangladesh’s exports to the Southeast Asian country, including pharmaceuticals.

The two sides discussed a wide range of areas of mutual interest, including trade and business, investment, disaster management, education and training, capacity building, tourism, cultural exchanges, people-to-people contacts, consular affairs and high-level visits.

The state minister also requested Indonesia to facilitate easier visa processing for Bangladeshi nationals to promote tourism, cultural exchanges and greater people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.

Referring to the vulnerability of both countries to natural disasters, the state minister expressed Bangladesh’s interest in strengthening cooperation with Indonesia in disaster management.

Supporting the proposal, Listyowati emphasised greater exchange of knowledge and best practices as well as enhanced capacity-building initiatives to mitigate the adverse impacts of natural disasters.

Humaiun also sought Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s aspirations to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The Indonesian envoy reaffirmed her country’s continued support for Bangladesh’s aspirations regarding both ASEAN and RCEP.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues and reaffirmed their commitment to working closely at bilateral, regional and international levels on matters of mutual interest.