Acting Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir invited Brunei to invest in energy exploration and encouraged it to invest in Islamic banking. He also said Bangladesh was ready to supply additional workers to Brunei’s labour market, according to a foreign ministry statement on Wednesday.

Kobir met Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Brunei’s second minister of finance, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing momentum in bilateral relations, the statement said.

The acting foreign minister expressed Bangladesh’s keen interest in building long-term energy cooperation with Brunei and invited investment in energy exploration under government-to-government and public-private partnership arrangements.

He also encouraged Brunei to invest in Bangladesh’s Islamic banking sector.

Kobir said Bangladesh was ready to supply additional skilled, semi-skilled and professional workers to meet the needs of Brunei’s labour market.

The Bruneian minister recognised the Bangladeshi expatriate community as a significant contributor to Brunei’s economy and expressed optimism about continued recruitment of workers from Bangladesh.

Kobir also extended an invitation from Bangladesh’s prime minister to the Sultan of Brunei to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.