Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman had discussions with his counterparts from China, Russia and the United States on cooperation in various fields during their meetings on Wednesday in Manila..

The meetings, on the sidelines of ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in the capital of the Philippine, covered a broad spectrum of bilateral relations, including trade,  investment, energy and connectivity, as well as regional and international issues.

During these meetings, the Bangladesh side underlined that 'Bangladesh First' policy will guide Bangladesh's external relations, says a spokesman for the foreign ministry on Wednesday.

Adviser to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir is accompanying the Foreign Minister.

At the bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi both sides resolved to advance comprehensive cooperative partnership to jointly build a China-Bangladesh Community for a shared future.

The two foreign ministers discussed further cooperation on the repatriation of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, multimodal transport corridor, trade and investment and energy cooperation.

During Bangladesh-Russia bilateral meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov congratulated the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh on his election as President of the 81st UN General Assembly. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the energy sector.

Later in the afternoon, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio received the Bangladesh Foreign Minister and discussed further the strengthening of US-Bangladesh ties.

Foreign Minister Rahman invited Secretary Rubio to visit Bangladesh.

The foreign minister is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers meeting and the 50th Anniversary of Treaty of Amity and Cooperation of Southeast Asia.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com