State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Wednesday expressed Bangladesh's interest in securing greater employment opportunities for its workers in Brunei Darussalam.

She made the call when Brunei Darussalam High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haji Haris Bin Othman paid a courtesy call on her at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a ministry press release.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in manpower, trade and investment, energy, and air connectivity.

Shama underscored Bangladesh's interest in expanding access to Brunei's labour market to create more employment opportunities for Bangladeshi nationals.

On economic cooperation, she called for stronger business-to-business engagement to unlock the untapped potential of bilateral trade and investment.

She also proposed closer collaboration between women entrepreneurs of the two countries and the establishment of a Bangladesh-Brunei Chamber of Commerce to deepen private-sector engagement.

The Brunei high commissioner welcomed the proposals and reaffirmed his country's commitment to expanding trade and investment cooperation with Bangladesh.

Shama also sought greater market access in Brunei for Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals, jute products, agricultural commodities and mangoes.

The two sides agreed to establish a joint business group comprising chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs and investors from both countries.