DHAKA: The foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar will be held in August 31 which is the 8th meeting between the two countries.

Bangladesh foreign ministry sources confirmed the matter.

Bangladesh foreign secretary and Myanmar deputy foreign secretary will lead the respective delegation in the upcoming meeting.

According to the sources, Bangladesh is giving importance to come up with a consensus in order to hold further talks on security issues in reducing the crisis of trust between the countries. 

The upcoming bilateral talks will also emphasize increasing business, regional cooperation, communications and border protocol.

Earlier, the meeting was scheduled to be held on June 18. But it was deferred by the Myanmar due to the tension between the countries over a Border Guard Bangladesh member killing by the Myanmar security forces in the frontier on June. 

Regarding the eighth meeting, foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali said that bilateral meeting in secretary-level will be held in next month.

According to him, relations between the two neighboring countries are in right direction. 

The upcoming meeting will discuss issues related to Rohingya refugees, steps to stop cross-border drug smuggling, increase of bilateral trader relations, regional cooperation, and trade and communication extension.

Regional cooperation will also get importance in the meeting, he added.

The seventh meeting was held in 12 April in 2013 in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw which was led by Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.   

The foreign ministry sources said Bangladesh will give a compromise proposal over Security Dialogue. They will also discuss about Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) over the security issues.  

BDST: 0946 HRS, AUG 18, 2014