Shahriar goes to KL to invite Malaysian leaders for joining SEACO ceremonies

A high-level delegation led by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will leave Dhaka on Monday for Kuala Lumpur to invite Malaysian leaders for participating in the upcoming Southeast Asian Cooperation (SEACO) Forum’s launching ceremonies in June, reports BSS.

SEACO is a sub-regional initiative – connecting the countries in South and Southeast Asia – within the OIC framework – for eventually creating a free trade area where trade, technology, investment, finance and skills will be shared and leveraged amongst the member states.

Currently, the member states include Bangladesh, Brunei Dar-es-Salam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives.

Result of more than two decades of negotiations at the Islamic Conference – SEACO is becoming a reality under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as its chief patron.

It is spread across an area of 2.3 million square kilometres. With a combined GDP (on PPP basis) of $1.5 trillion, the current trade stands at a volume of $770 Billion.

The SEACO initiative is aimed at creating public-private synergies across infrastructure, energy, capital markets, banking, tourism, food security, manufacturing and logistics and various sectors.