Bangladesh Seeks Asean Membership with Malaysian Support
Published on 8.1.25
Bangladesh is seeking Malaysia's support to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), but faces an uphill battle due to governance and stability concerns. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus met with Nurul Izzah, daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, to request backing for Bangladesh's Asean membership bid. Dhaka first applied for sectoral dialogue partner status in 2020, a preliminary step towards full membership, but faces skepticism from Malaysia as current Asean chair.