The second round of Bilateral Consultations between the Foreign Offices (FOC) of Bangladesh and Egypt took place on Thursday (6 February) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Cairo.

During the consultations, the two sides discussed a wide range of topics, including political and economic cooperation, trade and investment, microcredit, education, agriculture, aquaculture, shipbuilding, defence, people-to-people connectivity, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The FOC provided an opportunity to explore the collaborations and all the potentials the two countries can offer to each other to enhance bilateral cooperation.

The Bangladesh delegation was led by Md Jashim Uddin, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, while the Egyptian delegation was headed by Ahmed Shaheen, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties based on age-old friendship and shared aspirations and underscored the importance of high-level political engagement and regular diplomatic consultations to advance bilateral interests.

Both countries stressed the importance of facilitating greater private sector engagement and agreed to establish a Business Forum.

The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food security including agricultural research, irrigation technology, and sustainable farming practices. They emphasised expanding educational exchanges, scholarship opportunities and vocational training collaborations.

The Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister assured that he would consider Bangladesh’s request to increase the number of scholarships for Bangladeshi students at Al Azhar University.

The two sides agreed on the importance of promoting tourism, sports, cultural programmes and ease visa procedures to enhance people-to-people connectivity.

Both delegations reviewed the progress of existing agreements and discussed the possibility of signing new Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to facilitate future cooperation.

Both sides expressed solidarity with the Palestine people strongly supporting their right to self-determination and statehood and underlining the importance of regional peace and stability. The Rohingya issue was also on the agenda. Humanitarian aspects and sustainable solutions to the crisis were underlined.

The Foreign Secretary underscored the need for continued global support for a sustainable resolution and informed the Assistant Foreign Minister about the upcoming international conference on Rohingya.

The two countries agreed to cooperate in multilateral forums, including the United Nations to support each other's candidacy and emphasized joint efforts in addressing climate change challenges.

They also agreed to maintain regular high-level engagements and consultations to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

It was decided that the 3rd Bilateral Consultations will be held in Dhaka in 2026 at a mutually convenient time.

On the same day, the Foreign Secretary had a meeting with the Vice President of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Hani Mahmoud. At the discussions, emphasis was given to sign the already finalized MOU between Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Egyptian Chamber.

The both sides agreed to hold virtual meetings to explore further steps to enhance trade volume between two countries.