Uruguay's Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his hotel in Rome yesterday, shortly after attending the funeral mass of Pope Francis.

During their meeting, both leaders engaged in discussions on issues of mutual interest, focusing on the current global trade situation and the need to bridge cooperation between Latin America and Asia.

Foreign Minister Lubetkin highlighted the importance of expanding trade and investment ties between Uruguay and Bangladesh. He called for stronger economic collaboration, particularly between Dhaka and Mercosur member countries, to enhance mutual prosperity.

Yunus and Lubetkin also explored strategies to invest in youth and promote social business enterprises. They reaffirmed their shared vision of achieving a "Three Zero" world — zero unemployment, zero wealth concentration, and zero net carbon emissions.

Yunus emphasised the importance of maintaining regular high-level dialogues and extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Lubetkin to visit Bangladesh at an early opportunity.

The meeting was also attended by Lamiya Morshed, SDG coordinator of the Bangladesh government; Tareq Ariful Islam, Bangladesh ambassador to the Vatican; and Rokebul Haque, Bangladesh ambassador to Italy.