Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman held a constructive meeting with H.E. Ms. Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, in Brussels on 20 April 2026. He was joined by Hon’ble Adviser to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr. Humaiun Kobir.
Prior to the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the initialling of the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Bangladesh and the EU that took place earlier that day. They agreed that the PCA would enable closer engagement across a wide range of policy areas related to shared prosperity and security, while strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation on regional and global issues of shared interest.
The meeting reaffirmed Bangladesh’s strong commitment to further strengthening its longstanding and trusted partnership with the European Union across political, economic, and development domains. Bangladesh appreciated the EU’s continued engagement and its role as Bangladesh’s largest export destination, as well as a key development and reform partner.
The Foreign Minister briefed the EU HR/VP on Bangladesh’s recent democratic developments and on the government’s ongoing reform, reconstruction, and development efforts under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman. He thanked Ms. Kallas for sending a strong election observation mission to Bangladesh during the recent parliamentary elections. Ms. Kallas highly appreciated Bangladesh for very successful and credible elections.
Both sides underscored the importance of deepening cooperation across all possible domains, including in trade and investment, regional cooperation, migration and mobility, and humanitarian issues.
The Hon’ble Foreign Minister further underscored the importance of launching negotiations on Bangladesh-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Investment Protection Agreement (IPA).
Bangladesh reiterated its strong commitment to working closely with the EU to build a stable, sustainable, and mutually beneficial partnership in the years ahead.
The meeting concluded on a note of mutual appreciation, with Bangladesh looking forward to welcoming High Representative Kaja Kallas to Bangladesh to further strengthen bilateral engagement and advance the partnership between Bangladesh and the European Union.