Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, now in Kuala Lumpur, on Friday expressed concerns over the arrests of Bangladeshi nationals on charges of terrorism.
He said the government of Bangladesh will work with Malaysia to investigate allegations of militancy against Bangladeshi nationals who were arrested recently by the Malaysian Police.
The issues were discussed during a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan held in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting.
Adviser Hossain reiterated the firm stand of the government against terrorism and sought Malaysia's cooperation in its own investigation into the allegations through exchange of information and findings.
The Malaysian Foreign Minister assured Dhaka of facilitating access and cooperation to Bangladesh authorities.
Photographs taken by two Mt. Everest summiteers on display in Dhaka
Earlier, the Foreign Advisor met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy where the two held discussions on diverse bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.
Both sides discussed, among others, the ongoing reforms in Bangladesh, Rohingya crisis, post-LDC graduation support, according to the Bangladesh Mission in Kuala Lumpur.
The Foreign Adviser also called on Winston Peters, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Hon Vijitha Herath, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, and Park Yoonjoo, the Vice Minister and Head of Delegation of the Republic of Korea where a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues came for discussions.
Bangladesh became a member of ARF in 2006, a forum established in early nineties to promote confidence and trust among its 27 members that include countries in the broader Asia-Pacific.
At present, Bangladesh is co-chairing two of the ARF priority areas, “Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime” and “Disaster Relief.”
The next session of the ARF ministerial meeting is scheduled to take place in Manila in 2026.
In the afternoon, the Foreign Adviser delivered the national statement at the Ministerial Meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum where he called for greater attention to the Rohingya crisis, in consideration of its national and regional security implications.
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The Foriegn Adviser also urged the ASEAN members to positively consider Bangladesh’s bid to become Sectoral Dialogue Partner.
The Foreign Adviser was accompanied by Md Shameem Ahsan, the High Commissioner of Bangaldesh to Malaysia, Md Forhadul Islam, Director General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of the Bangladesh government.