Bangladesh and Malaysia today discussed joint inspections and monitoring of the migration system to ensure fair and transparent recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for the Malaysian labor market.

The issue was featured at a meeting between Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.

Both ministers discussed the necessity of joint inspections and monitoring to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process, according to a foreign ministry press release issued here tonight.

They also reviewed bilateral cooperation beyond expatriate issues, focusing particularly on trade and investment and the early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.

Recalling Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s state visit to Malaysia in June this year, the ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing bilateral relations.

The Malaysian foreign minister expressed hope that Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim would undertake a return visit to Dhaka at an early date.

He also assured Malaysia’s support for Bangladesh’s aspirations to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to accede to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.