He said the Bangladeshi government had appealed to Malaysia on the possibility of increasing the intake of Bangladeshi workers and professionals.

“I will certainly give that major consideration, at least the first phase, subject to all conditions being met,” he said in a joint press conference with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.

Anwar is on a one-day visit to Bangladesh, the first visit by a head of a foreign government since the formation of the interim government.

Anwar said the two countries should prioritise giving attention and preference to investing firms, ensuring that any problems are addressed swiftly and in a transparent manner.

“Although we want Malaysian companies operating in Bangladesh to be given adequate consideration, I will not compromise on issues of transparency and due diligence in the process,” he added.

Anwar said the two governments would look into enhancing collaboration in higher education, agriculture, the halal economy and the semiconductor industry.

Muhammad said Dhaka looks forward to the joint commission meeting early next year to boost bilateral trade.”Future areas of collaboration could be in finance including sovereign fund, pension fund, private equity fund, health education, data sciences and AI,” he said.