Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has emphasized strengthening bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and the Philippines.
The minister suggested the formulation of a joint strategy to serve the purpose while addressing a bilateral meeting with the Philippine Foreign Minister alongside the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila Tuesday, 27 September.
Mustafa Kamal said the full potential of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the Philippines is yet to be fully unleashed which now stands at just $108 million.
He highlighted the possible areas of immediate cooperation between the two countries including medicine, agricultural products, light engineering, jute and jute products, etc.
Both sides can also benefit from cooperation in disaster management, healthcare, nursing and IT, the minister added.
The finance minister emphasized the finalization of several MoUs including cooperation of migrant workers, higher education, maritime cooperation and agricultural cooperation, defense cooperation, the establishment of joint commission, media cooperation, prevention of corruption and making bilateral relations more meaningful and substantial.
