DHAKA, JUNE 21 (V7N)— Prime Minister Tarique Rahman departed Dhaka today on a two-day official visit to Malaysia, marking his first state visit abroad since taking office.

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and a streamlined entourage, took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:45 PM, confirmed Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon.

The Prime Minister was seen off at the airport by a high-profile delegation, including Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Chief Whip of Parliament Nurul Islam Moni, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, and Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, alongside senior diplomats.

The premier's high-level delegation includes Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, State Minister for Energy and Power Aninda Islam Amit, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Overseas Employment Adviser Mahadi Amin, and Defense Adviser AKM Shamsul Islam.

This historic mission comes after Tarique Rahman assumed office following an absolute majority victory in the 11th National Parliamentary Elections held on February 12.

Key Diplomatic and Economic Objectives

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam emphasized that the stabilization and expansion of the manpower export sector has been prioritized as the "number one agenda" for the bilateral talks in Kuala Lumpur.

The two nations are actively working toward finalizing and signing two major bilateral instruments during the trip:

  1. A comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost economic exchange.

  2. A bilateral pact on Cultural Exchange.

Beyond labor welfare, the high-level delegation will hold extensive talks on securing deeper cooperation in the semiconductor industry, energy sector, halal economy, agriculture, education, and public relations.

Dhaka will also utilize the summit to aggressively pitch its applications to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner, seeking Malaysia’s strong diplomatic backing.

The Itinerary

  • June 21 (Day 1): Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will receive an official state welcome upon his arrival in Kuala Lumpur.

  • June 22 (Day 2): A crucial one-to-one summit between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will take place at the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya. This will be followed immediately by a high-level, bilateral delegation-level meeting.

Upon wrapping up the two-day diplomatic leg in Malaysia, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his entourage will fly directly to China for the second leg of his two-nation Asian tour.

END/AJ/RH/