Bangladesh has long enjoyed a strong bilateral relationship with Australia, a relationship that reaches 50 today. To that end, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia, Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, has expanded on the future possibilities of this relationship, and it is certainly one that is exciting.
Bangladesh is looking to be among the top 20 trading partners of Australia in the next decade, and such an ambitious target is precisely the attitude we should be adopting.
Bangladesh is no longer the country it used to be. We have truly cemented our image as a self-assured, emerging middle economic power in the Indian Ocean Region. Our output when it comes to trade is being diversified as well. A range of hi-tech parks have already been established, where Bangladesh will put a larger emphasis on manufacturing electronics. This means that Bangladesh is in the perfect spot to expand the entirety of its trade apparatus.
And it seems that Australia is taking note. The signing of the Trade and Invest Framework Arrangement (TIFA) is already an indication of where this relationship can go.The government just needs to make sure it can get there.
We have had long-standing relationships with Australia. Both sides know this, and both sides can only benefit from the furthering of this relationship. We have long had the issue of an unfavourable image, and the government would do well to convince Australia, and other potential developed nations, of this. By strengthening our partnerships across the board, the only direction for Bangladesh is up.