Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh and Italy have agreed to enhance cooperation in combating transnational organised crimes, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling as well as terrorism and cybercrime.

The two countries emphasised the importance of capacity-building, continued information and intelligence sharing and joint training to strengthen security frameworks in both nations.

Both sides agreed to make arrangements towards establishing a Joint Committee to promote cooperation in preventing and combating transnational organised crime and capacity-building initiatives for law enforcement agencies, according to a joint statement issued on the just concluded visit of Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi who paid an official visit to Bangladesh on May 5-6.

One of the key outcomes of the visit was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Migration and Mobility between the two governments, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.For Bangladesh, this MoU reflects the government’s commitment to expanding labour markets abroad, securing remittance inflows and uplifting the lives of people through legal migration pathways.For Italy, it offers a solution to the challenges of labour shortages while promoting safe, orderly and regular migration.This MoU will also help address irregular migration jointly and more effectively, including in line with the provisions of the ‘Standard Operating Procedures for the Identification and Return of Persons without an Authorisation to Stay’ signed between Bangladesh and the EU in 2017, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the visit, he met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. Piantedosi also held bilateral meetings with Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain; Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and Home Affairs and Agriculture Adviser Lt General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. The visit reaffirmed the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between Bangladesh and Italy, grounded in mutual respect, shared values and common interests.During the visit, both sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations and discussed a wide range of issues, including security cooperation, migration management, law enforcement collaboration, streamlined visa processing arrangements and the welfare of the Bangladeshi diaspora in Italy.The two countries also reflected on the shared desire of Bangladesh and Italy to foster a mutually beneficial partnership for promoting economic growth, social development and the well-being of their people.During his meeting with the Chief Adviser, Piantedosi reaffirmed Italy’s continued support for the Interim Government of Bangladesh and its initiatives for political and socio-economic reforms, echoing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s commitment conveyed during her meeting with the Bangladesh Chief Adviser on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2024 in New York.Describing Italy as a valued partner of Bangladesh, the Chief Adviser stressed the need for expanding bilateral trade, including through greater market access, business-to-business partnerships, and joint ventures in sectors such as textiles, leather, information technology, and food processing.He also laid emphasis on deepening bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation in diverse areas, including, innovation, climate change, renewable energy, education, cultural exchange, migration and people-to-people links, especially the youth.While meeting the Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Italian Minister emphasised promoting mutual prosperity through labour mobility.In view of the increasing demand for skilled workers in Italy and the potential for Bangladesh to provide a well-trained, hardworking and young workforce, the Bangladesh Expatriates’ Welfare Adviser requested for considering increased quotas for skilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers under the legal migration pathways.Both of them also agreed to explore concrete avenues for enhancing skills development initiatives.They expressed their willingness to work together to promote formal remittance channels and reiterated their commitment to ensuring the dignity, safety and wellbeing of migrant workers.During the meeting between the Bangladesh Foreign Adviser and the Italian Interior Minister, the two dignitaries acknowledged the significant contributions of the Bangladeshi diaspora to both economies.They underscored the need for enhancing legal migration pathways and addressing irregular migration through joint efforts.The Bangladesh Foreign Adviser appreciated the government of Italy for hosting the second-largest Bangladeshi diaspora in Europe.He also urged to resolve the issue of pending visa applications with the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka, particularly for those with genuine work permits, at the earliest.At the same time, he requested for finding suitable alternatives to expedite the verification of work permits by the Italian Provincial Immigration Office.Both the Bangladesh Home Adviser and the Italian Interior Minister, in a bilateral meeting, welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries.Piantedosi also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation on the repatriation of those arriving illegally.The two sides concurred on organising a visit of the head of government of Italy to Bangladesh at an early date.The Italian minister expressed appreciation for Bangladesh’s efforts to stabilize the economy and accelerate growth as well as its generous hosting of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas.The Bangladesh side acknowledged Italy’s continued support within the European Union and international forums.Both sides expressed confidence that the outcomes of the visit would further strengthen the partnership between Bangladesh and Italy and lay the foundation for deeper collaboration in areas of mutual interest.