28-07-2025
Bangladesh seeks Malaysia's backing for Asean membership during meeting with Nurul Izzah
NEW DELHI, July 28 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar called on Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka on Sunday.
Yunus, during the meeting, sought Malaysia's support for Bangladesh to join the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean).
'We want to become a part of Asean, and we will need your support,' he told Nurul Izzah, according to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report.
Bangladesh applied to become an Asean sectoral dialogue partner in 2020.
Yunus also invited Malaysian companies to invest in Bangladesh's growing economy.
'Asia is ageing rapidly, but Bangladesh has a lot of young people. Half of our population is under the age of 27. Set up your industries here and export from Bangladesh. It will help both our economies,' he said.
The interim government's chief advisor informed the PKR deputy chief about Bangladesh's political reforms following last year's uprising, which ended Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year rule.
Nurul Izzah spoke at Dhaka University on Sunday at a conference marking the first anniversary of the July Revolution.
She also offered her condolences during the meeting with Yunus and at the conference over the loss of lives in the recent fighter jet crash at Milestone School in Dhaka. — Bernama
