Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Malaysian Foreign Minister agreed to cooperate on militancy investigations during the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur today. Photo: PID

DHAKA, 11 July, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh and Malaysia have agreed to work together in investigating recent allegations of militancy involving several Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Malaysia.

The understanding was reached during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan on the sidelines of the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, said a foreign ministry's press release here this evening. 

Expressing concern over the arrests, Foreign Adviser Hossain reiterated Bangladesh's firm stance against terrorism and extremism and sought Malaysia's cooperation in conducting an in-depth investigation through the exchange of information and findings.

The Malaysian Foreign Minister assured full cooperation, including access for Bangladeshi authorities to the individuals and relevant details related to the allegations.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Adviser held bilateral talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. 

During the meeting, both sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues, including ongoing governance reforms in Bangladesh, the protracted Rohingya crisis, and post-LDC graduation support.

Hossain also met with his counterparts from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Korea - namely, Winston Peters, Foreign Minister of New Zealand; Herath, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka; and Park Yoonjoo, Vice Minister and Head of Delegation of the Republic of Korea. Discussions at these meetings covered various bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Bangladesh joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2006. 

The ARF, established in the early 1990s, currently consists of 27 members across the broader Asia-Pacific region and aims to build confidence and promote security cooperation. 

Bangladesh is presently co-chairing two ARF priority areas: "Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime" and "Disaster Relief."

In the afternoon session of the Ministerial Meeting, the Foreign Adviser delivered the national statement on behalf of Bangladesh. 

In his remarks, he underscored the urgency of resolving the Rohingya crisis and highlighted its implications for national and regional security.

He also urged ASEAN member states to positively consider Bangladesh's proposal to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.

The Foreign Adviser was accompanied by Md. Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, Md. Forhadul Islam, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of the Bangladesh government.

The next ARF Ministerial Meeting is scheduled to be held in Manila in 2026.