Prime Minister Meets Albanese in Antalya, Leaders Exchange Visit Invitations

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has held a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The meeting took place at 10:30 am on Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, on the sidelines of the United Nations climate change summit (COP-31).

The talks covered dealing with the impacts of climate change, expanding Australian investment in Bangladesh, the repatriation of the Rohingya to their own country, and various other issues of mutual interest.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman invited Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit Bangladesh. In reply, Albanese expressed hope of visiting Bangladesh at a convenient time next year.

Meanwhile, the Australian prime minister also invited Tarique Rahman to visit his country. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman likewise expressed interest in visiting Australia at a convenient time.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman emphasised giving priority to the needs of developing and especially vulnerable countries in dealing with the impacts of climate change. He also sought Australia's cooperation in increasing Australian investment in Bangladesh and ensuring the safe repatriation of the Rohingya.

In the climate discussions, the prime minister praised Australia's leadership role in the ongoing COP-31 negotiation process.

Highlighting the investment potential in Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman said there are ample opportunities for foreign investment in the country. The two prime ministers also discussed the development of the agriculture sector.

On the Rohingya crisis, the prime minister said Australia's cooperation is needed to ensure the safe repatriation of the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh to their own country, Myanmar. He called on Australia to strengthen its diplomatic efforts to that end. The prime minister also noted that the Rohingya crisis originated in Myanmar and its lasting solution also lies in Myanmar.

At the meeting, the prime minister also presented Bangladesh's renewable energy plans. He said the government has taken an initiative to meet 20 percent of the country's total electricity demand from renewable energy by 2030.

He also highlighted various steps taken by the government to protect the environment and deal with the impacts of climate change. Among those initiatives, he mentioned the programme to plant 250 million trees across the country and the canal excavation programme.