Desk Report: The Bangladesh government wants to take its longstanding friendly relations with Malaysia to a new level by expanding cooperation in manpower exports, renewable energy, infrastructure, education, healthcare and trade, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan has said.He made the remarks during a meeting with Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Shuhada bin Othman at the Secretariat on Sunday. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam was also present.The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral relations and turning the existing friendship between the two countries into a more effective economic partnership.At the beginning of the meeting, the Malaysian High Commissioner expressed satisfaction over the recent visit of Bangladesh's Prime Minister to Malaysia and described the visit as successful. The two sides then discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest.A major part of the discussion centred on employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.The two sides discussed increasing the export of Bangladeshi manpower to Malaysia and facilitating the registration of undocumented Bangladeshi workers there. They also discussed creating greater employment opportunities in Malaysia for Bangladeshi engineers and other skilled professionals.Such cooperation could provide more opportunities for Bangladeshi workers while also helping Malaysia meet its demand for skilled and semi-skilled manpower.The meeting also explored the possibility of building hospitals through joint initiatives between Bangladesh and Malaysia.The two sides discussed expanding opportunities for Bangladeshi students to pursue higher education in Malaysia, which is already an important destination for international students.Renewable energy emerged as another key area of potential cooperation. The two countries expressed interest in encouraging investment and joint initiatives in the sector as Bangladesh seeks to diversify its energy sources and increase the use of clean energy.Cooperation in manufacturing sports equipment was also discussed.The discussions went beyond traditional areas of bilateral cooperation, with the two sides exploring opportunities in electric vehicle imports, the construction sector and halal food.The potential expansion of cooperation in these sectors could open new avenues for trade and investment between the two countries.Bangladesh and Malaysia have maintained close relations for decades, with labour migration, trade, education and people-to-people contacts forming important pillars of the relationship. The latest discussions indicate an interest in broadening those ties beyond manpower and conventional trade towards investment, technology, infrastructure and sustainable development.Both sides expressed their interest in transforming the long-standing friendly relationship into a stronger and more practical economic partnership.Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan and senior officials of the ministry were also present at the meeting.