Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that she will travel to Bangladesh to advance Australia's interests in a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region.
“As Australia enhances our engagement with the Indian Ocean region, I am pleased to undertake my first visit to Bangladesh,” she said in a statement on Monday, ahead of her arrival on Tuesday for a two-day visit.
Australia is working with Bangladesh to deepen cooperation between two countries, including on trade and investment, and to find practical solutions to shared challenges such as climate change, regional maritime security and people smuggling.
She will discuss those issues during her meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, among others.
“Australia and Bangladesh have significant people-to-people links, with over 50,000 people in Australia born in Bangladesh,” she said.
Penny Wong will also travel to Cox's Bazar, where she will see how Australia's humanitarian assistance is delivering practical support to displaced Rohingya and Bangladeshi host communities.
“Australia's 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,” she said.
From Dhaka, she will go to Singapore where she will discuss trade and investment, green economy opportunities, defence and security, among others.
