hasina tshering
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering during talks in Dhaka. Image courtesy: Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd

In a goodwill gesture, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced five additional seats for Bhutanese students in government medical colleges in Bangladesh, according to reports.

This increase will take the total number of seats reserved for students from the country to 15 per year.

She made the announcement during official talks with her visiting counterpart Lotay Tshering in Dhaka on Saturday..

Tshering, himself a medical doctor who studied at Mymensingh Medical College, thanked his Bangladesh counterpart for providing opportunities for Bhutanese students in higher educational institutions in Bangladesh, particularly in the medical colleges.

The two countries also signed MoUs on cooperation in the fields of agriculture and tourism and on mutual collaboration in the field of public administration training.

To enhance cooperation in the health sector, an MoU was signed to facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi specialist doctors by Bhutan under ‘attractive remuneration’ packages.

Both leaders discussed the potential for enhancing bilateral trade, including the use of inland waterways for transportation of bilateral trade.

They also discussed transmission of electricity, investment in hydro-power in Bhutan, multi-modal connectivity, particularly through the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) initiative.

He will leave Dhaka on Monday, ending his four-day maiden visit to Bangladesh as the Prime Minister.