|| Staff Correspondent: Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir and Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle yesterday underscored the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, skills development and research to further deepen economic relations between the two countries.The issues came up at a meeting held at the Ministry of Commerce at the Secretariat, where both sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade negotiation capacity building, research, education, agriculture, livestock and investment. Commerce Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan was present at the meeting.During the meeting, the commerce minister said the government is planning to introduce long-term institutional training programmes to enhance the capacity of government officials in international trade, particularly in World Trade Organization (WTO) laws and trade negotiations. To support this initiative, he said, the government has undertaken steps to establish a research and study centre, which is expected to evolve into a regional hub for knowledge sharing and capacity building in the future, said a ministry press release.He also stressed the importance of strengthening the skills of project directors to ensure effective implementation of development projects, adding that specialised training programmes are being planned for them.In response, Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle said Australia is keen to support such long-term capacity-building initiatives.She noted that while training programmes had previously been conducted on a limited scale, discussions are now underway to develop more structured and sustained initiatives covering trade negotiations, the legal aspects of international agreements and policy-making skills.She also mentioned the possibility of involving other development partners in the programmes.The meeting also reviewed Bangladesh's post-LDC graduation trade prospects, its position in the global trading system and future market access opportunities. Both sides stressed the importance of maintaining regular dialogue on these issues. The Australian envoy said bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Australia currently stands at around US$5.5 billion and continues to grow steadily.She identified education, transnational education, renewable energy, agriculture, food processing and business investment as promising areas for expanded cooperation.Susan Ryle also said an Australian business delegation is planning to visit Bangladesh soon, which is expected to help boost bilateral trade and investment.The meeting further discussed the potential for exporting premium Australian beef to Bangladesh, alongside cooperation in halal certification, livestock traceability and modern livestock management systems.At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to elevating Bangladesh-Australia relations to a broader, more sustainable and strategic level.