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One of the key outcomes of the visit by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to Dhaka was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility between the two governments, according to a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Italian Interior Minister concluded his two-day visit to Dhaka on Tuesday, which served as a reaffirmation of the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between Bangladesh and Italy, grounded in mutual respect, shared values, and common interests.
During the visit, Bangladesh’s Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Dr Asif Nazrul, and Minister Piantedosi signed the MoU on behalf of their respective governments, as per a BSS report.
For Bangladesh, the MoU reflects the government’s commitment to expanding overseas labour markets, securing remittance inflows, and improving lives through legal migration pathways, according to the statement.
For Italy, it provides a solution to labour shortages while promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration, the statement added.
The MoU will also help jointly and more effectively address irregular migration, including in line with the provisions of the ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Identification and Return of Persons without Authorisation to Stay’, signed between Bangladesh and the EU in 2017.
During the visit, both sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations and discussed a broad range of issues, including security cooperation, migration management, law enforcement collaboration, streamlined visa processing arrangements, and the welfare of the Bangladeshi diaspora in Italy.
Both parties also reflected on the shared desire of Bangladesh and Italy to foster a mutually beneficial partnership that promotes economic growth, social development, and the well-being of their peoples.
The two sides agreed to organise a visit by the Head of Government of Italy to Bangladesh at an early date.
The Italian Minister expressed appreciation for Bangladesh’s efforts to stabilise the economy and accelerate growth, as well as its generosity in hosting forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
The Bangladesh side acknowledged Italy’s continued support within the European Union and international forums.
During the visit, the Italian Minister called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and held bilateral meetings with the Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Dr Asif Nazrul; Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain; and Adviser for Home Affairs and Agriculture, Lt General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
Meeting with the Chief Adviser:
During his meeting with the Chief Adviser, Piantedosi reaffirmed Italy’s continued support for Bangladesh’s interim government and its initiatives for political and socio-economic reforms, echoing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s commitment during her meeting with the Bangladesh Chief Adviser on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2024 in New York.
Describing Italy as a valued partner of Bangladesh, the Chief Adviser stressed the importance of expanding bilateral trade through greater market access, business-to-business partnerships, and joint ventures in sectors such as textiles, leather, information technology, and food processing, according to the statement.
He also emphasised the need to deepen bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation in diverse areas including innovation, climate change, renewable energy, education, cultural exchange, migration, and people-to-people links, particularly among the youth.
Meeting with the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser:
In his meeting with the Bangladesh Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Italian Minister emphasised promoting mutual prosperity through labour mobility.
Given the increasing demand for skilled labour in Italy and Bangladesh’s potential to provide a well-trained, hardworking, and youthful workforce, the Adviser requested an increase in quotas for skilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers under legal migration pathways.
Both sides also agreed to explore concrete avenues for enhancing skills development initiatives.
They expressed their willingness to collaborate on promoting formal remittance channels and reiterated their commitment to ensuring the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of migrant workers.
Meeting with the Foreign Affairs Adviser:
In the meeting between the Foreign Adviser and the Italian Minister, both parties acknowledged the significant contributions of the Bangladeshi diaspora to both economies.
They underscored the importance of enhancing legal migration pathways and addressing irregular migration through joint efforts.
The Foreign Adviser expressed appreciation to the Italian Government for hosting the second-largest Bangladeshi diaspora in Europe.
He also urged the resolution of pending visa applications at the Italian Embassy in Dhaka—particularly for those holding genuine work permits—as soon as possible.
Simultaneously, he requested the identification of suitable alternatives to expedite work permit verification by the Italian Provincial Immigration Office.
Meeting with the Home Affairs Adviser:
In their bilateral meeting, the Home Affairs Adviser of Bangladesh and the Italian Interior Minister welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies.
They agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating transnational organised crime, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, terrorism, and cybercrime.
They emphasised the importance of capacity-building, continued information and intelligence sharing, and joint training programmes to reinforce security frameworks in both nations.
The Italian Minister also highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation on the repatriation of individuals arriving illegally.
Both sides agreed to move forward with arrangements to establish a Joint Committee aimed at promoting cooperation in preventing and combating transnational organised crime and supporting capacity-building initiatives for law enforcement agencies.
The visit concluded with both parties expressing confidence that the outcomes would further reinforce the partnership between Bangladesh and Italy and lay the groundwork for deeper collaboration in areas of mutual interest, according to the joint statement.