Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday renewed his call for Malaysia to support Bangladesh鈥檚 bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The chief adviser made the call when Malaysia鈥檚 People鈥檚 Justice Party vice president and prime minister Anwar Ibrahim鈥檚 daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar met him at the state guest house, Jamuna, according to a press release issued by the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing.
鈥榃e want to become a part of ASEAN, and we will be needing your support,鈥� the release quoted Yunus as saying.
He hoped that Malaysia, the current chair of the association, would take a proactive role in granting Bangladesh鈥檚 application to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the regional body and, in turn, become a full member of it.
Bangladesh applied to become a sectoral dialogue partner of the association in 2020.
At the beginning of the meeting, Nurul Izzah offered her condolences over deaths in the recent fighter jet crash at Milestone School in Dhaka.
鈥業t鈥檚 a tragic and sad event for our country. We lost so many people,鈥� the chief adviser responded.
He greeted Nurul Izzah on her new role as the vice president of her political party.
He highlighted Bangladesh鈥檚 recent political changes and the reforms undertaken by the interim government.
He encouraged Malaysian firms to invest in Bangladesh.
鈥楢sia is ageing rapidly, but Bangladesh has a lot of young people. Half of our population is under 27. Set up your industries here and export from Bangladesh. It will help both our economies,鈥� he said.
The chief adviser鈥檚 special envoy for international affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi, and senior secretary and SDG coordinator Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting.
