Bangladesh and the European Union have taken a significant step forward in their bilateral relationship, as the two sides initialled the Bangladesh-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) during a high-level visit to Brussels on Monday.
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, accompanied by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, witnessed the initialling of the agreement alongside EU High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the European External Action Service Headquarters.
Addressing the media, both sides described the PCA as a forward-looking and comprehensive framework that will elevate ties across political, economic, development, and security domains, while strengthening cooperation on regional and global issues of shared interest.
During their meeting, the two leaders appreciated the longstanding and trusted partnership between Bangladesh and the EU and reaffirmed their commitment to further advancing the relationship.
The foreign minister briefed Kallas on Bangladesh’s recent democratic developments and the government’s ongoing reform, reconstruction, and development efforts under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He also thanked the EU High Representative for sending a strong election observation mission to Bangladesh during the recent parliamentary elections.
Kallas highly appreciated Bangladesh for what she termed very successful and credible elections.
Both sides underscored the importance of deepening cooperation across all possible domains, including trade and investment, regional cooperation, migration and mobility, and humanitarian issues.
The foreign minister highlighted predictable market access as a key priority for Bangladesh and stressed the need to move toward stronger and more durable economic partnership arrangements with the EU. He also emphasised Bangladesh’s interest in advancing discussions on a Bangladesh-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) at the earliest possible opportunity.
The foreign minister thanked the EU for its support for Rohingya humanitarian operations and sought continued engagement for a sustainable solution to the protracted crisis.
Later, the Foreign Minister held a bilateral meeting with Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Belgium. The meeting reviewed the state of Bangladesh-Belgium relations and explored avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, innovation, and multilateral engagement.
The two sides agreed to hold the third Bangladesh-Belgium Consultations in Brussels later this year.
Khalilur Rahman reiterated Bangladesh’s desire to further deepen bilateral ties with Belgium as a valued partner. He encouraged greater engagement by Belgian businesses and institutions in Bangladesh, particularly in areas where Belgium has recognised strengths, including logistics, port management, biotech and pharmaceuticals, technology, and water management.
The two sides also exchanged views on migration and mobility, visa and consular matters, and the Rohingya humanitarian situation.
The Foreign Minister further met Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and discussed expanding Bangladesh-EU cooperation in research, science, technology, innovation, and startups. The discussions focused on opportunities for collaboration under Horizon Europe, as well as in artificial intelligence, digital innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainable development. They also discussed developing a framework for sustained future engagement.
Besides Adviser Humayun Kabir, the Foreign Minister was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Dr Md Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Geneva Nahida Sobhan, and Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission to the EU Khandker Masudul Alam during the meetings.
