DHAKA, May 4, 2024 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today proposed to 
form a "Joint Business Taskforce" coordinated by the apex business bodies of 
Bangladesh and the Gambia to expand trade cooperation between the two 
countries.
 
He made the proposal during a bilateral talk with his Gambian counter Dr 
Mamadou Tangara on Friday on the sidelines of the OIC's 15th Summit Pre-
preparatory Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Banjul, Gambia, a foreign 
ministry's press release said here today. 

During the meeting, the Gambian foreign minister praised Bangladesh's 
remarkable success in the agricultural sector and expressed his intention to 
expand trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also expressed his deep appreciation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for 
her solidarity with the Muslim Ummah by sheltering Rohingyas displaced from 
Myanmar in Bangladesh. 

Tangara also thanked the Bangladesh government for its financial assistance 
in the Rohingya genocide case, according to a media release on Saturday.

Bangladesh foreign minister congratulated the Gambian foreign minister for 
chairing the OIC's 15th Summit Pre-preparatory Foreign Ministers' Meeting and 
expressed his hope to work together to enhance cooperation in various fields 
of the OIC during Gambia's presidency.

Expressing satisfaction at the existing friendly relations between the two 
countries, Hasan said that the Gambia may recruit Bangladeshi manpower for 
its agriculture sector.
 
The two foreign ministers also put emphasis on the OIC's strong role in 
resolving the Palestinian issue.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Bangladesh's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia 
and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the Organisation of Islamic 
Cooperation (OIC) Dr Javed Patwary were present at the meeting, among others.