Bangladesh and Uruguay held their first-ever bilateral political consultations on Wednesday and decided to encourage more private sector cooperation including regular interactions between their apex chambers of commerce and industries.

The consultations were held at the State Guest House Padma, following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral political consultations between Bangladesh and Uruguay.

The MoU was signed to establish an institutional framework for regular, structured, and comprehensive dialogue between the two countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh and Uruguay established their diplomatic relations in 1972.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and the non-resident Ambassador of Uruguay to Bangladesh Alberto Antonio Guani Amarilla, signed the MoU and led their respective delegations in the consultations.

During the discussions, both sides took stock of the existing cooperation across a broad range of areas.

Bangladesh proposed strengthening collaboration in the areas of trade and investment, science and technology, defence training, disaster management, people-to-people exchanges, health, education, energy, agriculture, sports and capacity building.

The Uruguayan side expressed keen interest in expanding cooperation in agriculture, fisheries and livestock, energy, and sports, among other priority areas.

Both countries also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, reaffirming their strong commitment to multilateralism and cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.

Bangladesh delegation briefed the Uruguayan side on the Rohingya humanitarian situation and sought Uruguay's continued international support on the same.

The delegations agreed to maintain close engagement and to convene the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient time.

They also underscored the importance of high-level exchanges and visits in further consolidating and advancing the bilateral relations.