Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury said on Tuesday that Malaysia officially reopened its labour market to Bangladeshi workers on Monday (July 6), following the Prime Minister's recent diplomatic tour abroad.

Speaking with journalists at the Sylhet Circuit House, the minister stated, “The benefits of the Prime Minister's foreign tour have already started to materialize. Malaysia reopened its labour market for Bangladesh from yesterday (July 6)”.

Earlier during his visit to the circuit house, the minister received a courtesy call from US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen.

During the subsequent media briefing, the minister noted that the current administration has maintained continuous diplomatic discussions with various nations to cultivate new overseas employment avenues and broaden existing labour markets since taking office.

“As part of those efforts, the Malaysian labour market has been reopened. We hope labour markets in other countries will also be opened gradually,” he remarked.

In their discussions, the minister and the US ambassador covered the overall development of Sylhet, the impact of Bangladeshi expatriates—notably the Sylheti diaspora residing in the United States—and strategies to broaden bilateral trade, increase investment, and enhance collaboration on shared interests.

Describing the long-standing friendly ties between Bangladesh and the United States, the minister affirmed that both nations are cooperating closely to render their partnership increasingly robust and productive.

He further expressed optimism that ongoing exchanges will deepen mutual development, economic cooperation, and friendly relations.

Attendees during the meeting included Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Pinky Saha, and other senior government officials.