Bangladesh and Canada have pledged to develop a plan to expand their bilateral trade, currently valued at approximately $2.5 billion.

This commitment emerged during the fifth Bangladesh-Canada Foreign Office Consultations held in Ottawa on October 27.

Leading the Bangladesh delegation was Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, while Weldon Epp, assistant deputy minister for Asia Pacific at Global Affairs Canada, headed the Canadian team. 

The discussions covered a range of global and regional issues, including climate change, peace and security, and transnational crime.

Both countries expressed their intent to elevate their relationship to a higher level, as outlined in a statement from the foreign ministry. 

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen emphasized the importance of boosting cooperation in areas like skills development, trade facilitation, clean tech, energy, and agri-food processing sectors within Bangladesh’s service industry.

The discussions also covered various global and regional issues, including climate change, peace, security, and transnational crime, with a luncheon hosted by David Morrison, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Canada. 

The event was attended by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada Khalilur Rahman, Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nichols, and officials from both countries.