Tarique Rahman Says Bangladesh Will Set Date for Pakistan Visit After Meeting Shehbaz Sharif

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said his government would decide on a date for his planned visit to Pakistan, following a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the ongoing 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“We will fix a time. We will decide a time,” Rahman told journalists in a brief interaction after the meeting, according to Singapore-based news outlet AsiaOne.

Rahman spoke alongside Foreign Minister and current President of the UN General Assembly Dr Khalilur Rahman after the meeting.

Separate statements from the prime ministers’ offices of Bangladesh and Pakistan said the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction over the “positive momentum in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations”.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said Shehbaz Sharif pledged to further deepen ties with Bangladesh during his first meeting with Rahman on Thursday, New York local time. The information was reported by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

Rahman was elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh in February this year.

Shehbaz congratulated Bangladesh on assuming the presidency of the 81st UN General Assembly and conveyed Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh’s efforts to advance the objectives of the global body, according to the Pakistani statement.

The Pakistani prime minister also reaffirmed Islamabad’s “firm resolve to further deepen mutually beneficial bilateral relations” with Bangladesh.

The statement said Rahman shared the same sentiment, expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of relations and said his government was keen to strengthen Bangladesh-Pakistan ties further.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, education, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments and stressed the importance of continued coordination at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.

According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, regional and international developments, and potential areas of cooperation for the welfare of the people of both countries.

The two prime ministers emphasised the importance of advancing Bangladesh-Pakistan relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual understanding and cooperation.