Bangladesh and Italy will hold political consultations in Rome on August 4 to deepen cooperation on trade, migration, investment and regional issues, as Dhaka seeks to strengthen strategic ties with key European partners, diplomatic sources said.
The consultations, to be led by senior foreign ministry officials from both countries, are expected to cover cooperation in trade and investment, space and technology, defence and security, migration and mobility, as well as climate change and food security.
Officials said both sides are also likely to exchange views on regional and global developments and explore new areas of collaboration aimed at strengthening the longstanding partnership between Dhaka and Rome.
Ahead of the meeting, an inter-ministerial meeting is expected to be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (Thursday) to finalise Bangladesh's position and review the proposed agenda.
Representatives from the relevant ministries and agencies are expected to attend.
Italy is one of Bangladesh's key economic partners in Europe, with bilateral trade exceeding US$3.3 billion annually.
The country is also home to more than 200,000 Bangladeshi expatriates, whose annual remittance inflows exceed US$1.3 billion.
rezamumu@gmail.com
