PM Tarique Rahman urges Malaysia to reopen labour market for Bangladeshi workers

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim to recruit more Bangladeshi workers and reopen the country's labour market as soon as possible. He made the request during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders at Putrajaya on Monday, June 22.

In a joint briefing following the meeting, Tarique Rahman said he and Anwar Ibrahim had productive discussions on various important issues, including bilateral cooperation and regional and international matters.

He recalled the visits of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in April 1979 and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in 1993, which he said laid the foundation and deepened the friendship between the two countries.

Tarique Rahman said the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation through existing frameworks, including the Joint Commission and regular bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries. They also decided to move forward with negotiations on a Bangladesh-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

"We have decided to move forward with negotiations on the Bangladesh-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement," he said.

The prime minister said the discussions covered information technology, energy, infrastructure, human resources, the halal industry, agricultural processing, education, skills development, defence, the digital economy and semiconductors.

Urging Malaysia to reopen its labour market, Tarique Rahman said Bangladeshi workers, students, professionals and entrepreneurs serve as an important bridge between the two countries. "I have requested Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to recruit more Bangladeshi workers and reopen Malaysia's labour market as soon as possible," he said.

He also raised the issue of regularising irregular Bangladeshi migrants and repatriating detained Bangladeshis to their home country. The two leaders agreed that the recruitment process must be transparent, fair and affordable to reduce the role of intermediaries and the cost for workers.

On the Rohingya issue, Tarique Rahman expressed deep concern over the plight of the Rohingya population in Bangladesh and thanked Malaysia for its consistent support for their safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar.

He also thanked Malaysia for supporting Bangladesh's candidacy for the presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

Tarique Rahman expressed confidence that the discussions would open a new chapter in Bangladesh-Malaysia relations, with both countries working together for shared prosperity, regional peace and a more inclusive international system.