Energy, investment, Rohingya issue to top Bangladesh-Indonesia talks

Vice Foreign Minister for Indonesia Anis Matta

By Imtiaz Ahmed and Samia Tabassum

Trade, investment, energy, and war in the middle-east and Rohingya issues are most likely to dominate Dhaka–Jakarta talks during the visit of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Muhammad Anis Matta to Bangladesh during October 5-8, 2026, sources in Dhaka and Jakarta said

Muhammad Anis Matta, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto, arrived in the city on Monday.

“The  visit of Muhammad Anis Matta, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto,  to Bangladesh will give a new boost to the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia  to a new height, " said a high official of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs.

The visit underscored Indonesia’s continued commitment to strengthening friendship with Bangladesh and contributing to peace and development efforts within the country and particularly in political and economic cooperation, said the official

The Russia-Ukraine war, the US-Israel imposed war in Iran, political tension in the middle-east and high price of petroleum products have compelled the new BNP government to increase energy prices twice, reduce dependence on Gulf counties and explore new sources of energy. Against this backdrop, the government has been working on increased engagement with Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and  in the energy sector, diplomatic sources said.     

Indonesia is an important source of energy and petroleum products, particularly coal, and Bangladesh will seek increased Indonesian participation in the energy sector, said an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the talks, Bangladesh is likely to discuss various issues related to terrorism, human trafficking, and mutual interests between Dhaka and Jakarta

Indonesia’s export to Bangladesh has increased gradually during the last couple of years. Indonesia exported goods worth 1845.6 million US dollars to Bangladesh in 2020-21 fiscal year, 3165.7 million US dollars in 2021-22 fiscal year, 3378.00 million US dollars  in 2022-23 fiscal year, 3556.5 million US dollars in 2023-24 fiscal year and 3646.2 million US dollars in 2024-25 fiscal year, according to Bangladesh bank.

Indonesia ’s exports to Bangladesh primarily consist of electrical machinery, mineral fuels, palm oil, and chemicals.

“Bangladesh will seek Indonesia  investment in different prospective sectors to reduce the widening trade gap, said a Mofa official 

He said that Indonesia  can also build a dedicated country-specific “Economic Zone” like China, Japan, South Korea and India to take advantage of Bangladesh’s geo-economic position between China, India, and ASEAN..

During the talks, Bangladesh will express readiness to elevate trade relations with Indonesia towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to further deepen and diversify bilateral economic ties.

Bangladesh will also seek Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s aspirations to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The two sides also will also exchange views on regional and global issues and reaffirmed their commitment to working closely at bilateral, regional and international levels on matters of mutual interest.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir last month expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to elevate trade relations with Indonesia towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to further deepen and diversify bilateral economic ties.

He expressed the readiness when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Listyowati paid a courtesy call on him at his office in the city.

During the meeting, Humaiun urged Indonesia to increase imports of Bangladeshi products and services, stressing the need to unlock the potential of bilateral trade through greater diversification.

The state minister also sought increased Indonesian investment in Bangladesh and discussed prospects for expanding economic cooperation, including in the energy sector.

The Indonesian ambassador reaffirmed her support for efforts to diversify Bangladesh’s exports to the Southeast Asian country, including pharmaceuticals.

The two sides discussed a wide range of areas of mutual interest, including trade and business, investment, disaster management, education and training, capacity building, tourism, cultural exchanges, people-to-people contacts, consular affairs and high-level visits.

The state minister also requested Indonesia to facilitate easier visa processing for Bangladeshi nationals to promote tourism, cultural exchanges and greater people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.

Referring to the vulnerability of both countries to natural disasters, the state minister expressed Bangladesh’s interest in strengthening cooperation with Indonesia in disaster management.

Supporting the proposal, Listyowati emphasised greater exchange of knowledge and best practices as well as enhanced capacity-building initiatives to mitigate the adverse impacts of natural disasters.