Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have agreed to deepen cooperation in the shipping sector, with the possibility of establishing direct port connectivity between Chattogram and Colombo to enhance regional trade and logistics efficiency.
The decision came during the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the two countries, held at the Foreign Secretaries’ level in Colombo on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam led the Bangladesh delegation, while Aruni Ranaraja, Secretary to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, co-chaired the meeting on behalf of Colombo.
This round marked the resumption of the FOC mechanism between Dhaka and Colombo, with the last meeting held in Dhaka in 2017.
According to a joint media statement, both sides recognized significant opportunities for expanding collaboration in agriculture and fisheries, focusing on water resource management, deep-sea longline fishing, and freshwater fish farming through mutual sharing of knowledge and expertise.
Bangladesh invited Sri Lankan farmers to visit for exposure and training, offered cooperation in the livestock sector, and expressed interest in benefiting from Sri Lanka’s deep-sea fishing expertise.
Dhaka also urged Colombo to streamline the registration process for Bangladeshi pharmaceutical products, aiming to enhance trade in the health sector. Both countries agreed to work together for trade facilitation and to hold early meetings of the Trade Negotiating Committee and Joint Working Groups on Trade and Shipping.
For deeper economic engagement, the two sides underscored the need for greater participation of the private sector and business chambers in advancing bilateral cooperation.
