DHAKA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh and Russia have held talks aimed at bolstering manpower cooperation and expanding bilateral trade, as Dhaka seeks to diversify its labor market and Moscow looks to deepen economic engagement with the South Asian nation.

Bangladesh has proposed increasing the number of its workers in Russia to up to 100,000 within the next year, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Currently, about 10,000 Bangladeshis are employed in Russia.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made the proposal during a three-day visit to Russia, and Russian authorities agreed to work on it expeditiously, the statement said. Both sides expect to complete the necessary formalities soon.

The two countries also observed that current trade volumes are well below potential. Rahman emphasized the prospect of rapidly increasing Bangladeshi exports, particularly ready-made garments and pharmaceuticals, to the Russian market.

In this regard, the Russian side welcomed the proposal to host a business delegation from Bangladesh in the coming weeks.

Cooperation in technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), featured prominently in the talks.

Rahman proposed that a delegation on the application of AI in agriculture and health should visit Bangladesh, to which the Russian authorities readily agreed.

The Russian authorities also expressed interest in assisting Bangladesh in preparing its national AI policy and establishing institutions of excellence in AI in Bangladesh. ■