He would also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Korea to restart the legal manpower export.

The signing of the MoU would allow Bangladeshi workers to legally gain employment in the prospering far-east Asian country as manpower recruitment from Bangladesh has been banned in Korea for the last five years.

"Workers who have previously worked in (South) Korea and who are currently there will have a greater opportunity to get jobs there after the signing of the MoU," Iftekhar said while talking to the reporters yesterday. The new Employment Permit System (EPS) will allow Bangladeshi workers to utilise their knowledge in English and IT, he added.

The foreign adviser said that the ACD, attended by foreign ministers, will largely focus on development issues, and he will share Bangladesh's experiences with poverty alleviation, women empowerment, and micro-credit to the other Asian countries.

He will also have meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on the sidelines of the dialogue, the foreign adviser added.

Iftekhar will then separately meet South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon and Labour Minister Sang Soo Lee, with whom he will sign the MoU on manpower export. He will also sit with South Korean entrepreneurs and investors to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh.

The adviser will also meet Bangladeshi workers in Korea to discuss their problems and look at ways to overcome those through greater cooperation between Seoul and Dhaka.

Iftekhar explained that the MoU would aim to bring all Bangladeshi workers in South Korea under documentation, as there are over 12,000 undocumented workers currently working there.

He said the government plans to take on a variety of projects for 'capacity building' of the workers, especially Korean language training and IT training, which would increase their chances of gaining jobs in South Korea.

With the signing of the MoU, Bangladeshi workers will enjoy the benefits of working legally in South Korea, like workers from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China and Cambodia.