The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Penny Wong, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today on her maiden visit to Bangladesh, said officials in Dhaka.
鈥楾his week I will travel to Bangladesh and Singapore to advance Australia鈥檚 interests in a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region,鈥� said Penny Wong, also leader of the government in the senate, in a statement over her official visit, announced through a media release on Monday.
In Dhaka, she is expected to hold separate meetings with prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her counterpart Hasan Mahmud among other members of the government to discuss the issues, according to the release.聽
鈥楢s Australia enhances our engagement with the Indian Ocean region, I am pleased to undertake my first visit to Bangladesh,鈥� she said.
Australia is working with Bangladesh to deepen our cooperation, including on trade and investment, and to find practical solutions to shared challenges such as climate change, regional maritime security and people smuggling, according to the release sent by the Australian embassy in Dhaka.
Australia and Bangladesh have significant people-to-people links, with over 50,000 Bangladeshis live in Australia, it mentioned.
鈥業 will also travel to Cox鈥檚 Bazar, where I will see how Australia鈥檚 humanitarian assistance is delivering practical support to displaced Rohingya and Bangladeshi host communities, the Australian foreign minister said.
Australia鈥檚 humanitarian assistance is part of a global effort to address the causes of displacement, find durable solutions, and ultimately allow Rohingya to realise their goal of returning to their homeland.