After a gap of nearly 15 years, Bangladesh and Pakistan are set to hold a foreign secretary-level Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in Dhaka on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka tomorrow (Wednesday) to lead her country\u2019s delegation at the talks, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it to BSS today.<\/p>\n
Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin will lead the Bangladesh side at the FOC to be held at state guest house Padma.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two sides are expected to discuss the entire range of bilateral issues,\u201d the official said noting that while no specific agenda has been fixed, all areas of mutual interest are likely to be covered during the discussion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The official said, \u201cAfter such a long hiatus, it is difficult to prioritize topics in advance, but the talks will be comprehensive.\u201d
\nBangladesh\u2019s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Md Iqbal Hussain Khan, who is currently in Dhaka to attend the meeting, told BSS that Islamabad is particularly keen to enhance trade ties with Dhaka.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan sees potential for boosting exports to Bangladesh, especially if their products are price competitive,\u201d he said, citing cotton as a major item that Pakistan is interested in supplying.<\/p>\n