At the D-8 Summit today in Cairo, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with the Chief Adviser of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, H.E. Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, for a bilateral meeting. The meeting took place in an atmosphere of cordiality, representative of the goodwill and fraternal ties existing between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister spoke about the historical, religious, and cultural ties between the two countries and mentioned Pakistan’s desire to have this journey of bilateral cooperation transcend beyond trade and into people-to-people contacts and cultural exchange. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for finding new areas of economic cooperation to step up trade in chemicals, cement clinkers, surgical goods, leather goods, and the IT sector.
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The Prime Minister thanked Bangladesh for these steps taken recently for facilitating trade and travel between the two countries. This includes waiving the requirement of 100 percent physical inspection of consignments from Pakistan and abolishing the special security desk at Dhaka airport for Pakistani passengers. He also appreciated Bangladesh for doing away with additional clearance requirements for Pakistani visa applicants.
The two heads expressed satisfaction regarding the recent positive developments in bilateral relations and noted the increasing frequency of high-level contacts. They agreed to expand and deepen cooperation in all areas of their mutual interest and align efforts for achieving mutually beneficial development objectives. They considered important people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges along with enhanced exchange of artists, sportspersons, academics, and students. They also noted with satisfaction the recent visit by the Bangladesh Cricket Team to Pakistan and a concert by a Pakistani artist in Dhaka.
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Both sides also agreed to strengthen the bond of cooperation at various multilateral fora including D-8.