Tarique Rahman meets Australian PM, invites him to visit Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has invited his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to visit Bangladesh, as the two leaders held talks on expanding bilateral cooperation in climate action, investment, agriculture and the Rohingya crisis.

The bilateral meeting took place at 10:30am local time on Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, on the sidelines of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).

During the meeting, Tarique invited Albanese to visit Bangladesh. The Australian prime minister expressed hope that he would be able to make the visit at a convenient time next year. Albanese also invited Tarique to visit Australia.

Tarique sought Australia's cooperation in addressing the needs of climate-vulnerable countries, expanding renewable energy and ensuring the safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

He also outlined the government's environmental initiatives, including a target to generate 20% of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, plant 250 million trees nationwide and undertake canal excavation projects.

Highlighting Bangladesh's potential for foreign investment, Tarique called for greater Australian investment in the country.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation in developing the agricultural sector and other issues of mutual interest.