Bangladesh seeks Indonesia’s support for RCEP membership
Published: 09 September 2026, 8:54:07
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Bangladesh has sought Indonesia’s support for its bid to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and expressed readiness to pursue a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen bilateral trade ties.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir made the requests when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Listyowati paid a courtesy call on him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The two sides discussed trade and investment, energy, disaster management, education and training, tourism, cultural exchanges, people-to-people contacts, consular affairs, high-level visits and cooperation on regional and global issues.
Kobir urged Indonesia to increase imports of Bangladeshi products and services and requested easier visa processing for Bangladeshi nationals to promote tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people connectivity.
The Indonesian envoy reaffirmed her support for diversifying Bangladesh’s exports to Indonesia, including pharmaceuticals.
Kobir also expressed interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation in disaster management, while Listyowati stressed the importance of sharing knowledge and best practices and undertaking capacity-building initiatives to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.
The state minister also sought Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s aspiration to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and join RCEP. The Indonesian ambassador reaffirmed her country’s continued support for both initiatives.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to working closely on issues of mutual interest at the bilateral, regional and international levels.
