Bangladesh, Montenegro eye tourism cooperation, recruitment of skilled workers
Dhaka: Bangladesh and Montenegro have discussed expanding cooperation in tourism and recruiting skilled Bangladeshi workers to meet Montenegro’s growing labor demand, particularly in tourism, hospitality, construction, and healthcare.
The issues were discussed when Montenegrin Parliament Member Gordan Stojovic called on Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam at her office in the capital on October 5.
The state minister highlighted Bangladesh’s large pool of skilled workers, including IT professionals, engineers, construction workers, and healthcare personnel, and said the government is working to increase legal migration of skilled manpower, according to a press release.
Stojovic said Montenegro needs more than 50,000 workers annually and indicated that the country could recruit Bangladeshi workers through government-to-government (G2G) arrangements to meet labor shortages in sectors including tourism, construction, hospitality, and medical caregiving.
Both sides stressed the need to streamline work permit procedures and establish labor mobility arrangements to facilitate the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers and ensure their contribution to Montenegro’s economy.
Tourism also emerged as a potential area for greater bilateral cooperation. Stojovic, describing Montenegro as a significant tourism destination, expressed readiness to collaborate with and invest in the development of Bangladesh’s tourism sector.
The state minister identified ecotourism as one of the promising investment sectors in Bangladesh and also highlighted opportunities in agriculture, agro-food processing, seafood, renewable energy, and waste management.
The Montenegrin parliamentarian also pointed to potential investment in renewable energy.
The two sides discussed strengthening people-to-people contacts, visa facilitation, human mobility, and migration, as well as cooperation in education, women’s empowerment, sports, and culture.
They also stressed the importance of forming a Bangladesh-Montenegro Parliamentary Friendship Group to promote parliamentary diplomacy, delegation exchanges, and broader bilateral engagement.
Both sides further agreed on the need to tap Montenegro’s regional connectivity with the Baltic region and beyond to explore new opportunities for economic and people-to-people cooperation.
