The foreign minister of Bangladesh was to arrive Sunday for talks with his Japanese counterpart aimed at reviewing bilateral relations and exploring new areas of cooperation, the Bangladeshi Embassy said Saturday.
Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladeshi adviser for foreign affairs, was also to seek an exchange of views with Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including climate change, an Embassy official said.
In Bangladesh, advisers have duties similar to those of ministers.
In the first visit by a Bangladeshi foreign minister to Japan in five years, Chowdhury is expected to hold discussions with high officials in the Japanese government and members of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary League.
He will also address the United Nations University and hold a press conference at the National Press Club of Japan before returning to Dhaka on Thursday.
Japan is the top donor of development aid to Bangladesh and contributes to its infrastructure, employment and poverty alleviation efforts in the struggling South Asian country.
Bangladeshi leaders declared a state of emergency on Jan. 11, 2007, and a military-backed caretaker regime embarked on a campaign to rout corruption and improve the economy. Elections have been suspended until later this year.