Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought assistance from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to address the country’s ongoing gas crisis. The two leaders spoke by telephone at 2pm Bangladesh time on Tuesday, according to State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit, who briefed reporters at the Secretariat.

Amit said Bangladesh is unable to supply gas in line with demand and that the request for Malaysian support aims to narrow the gap between demand and supply. He said the government was working intensively to resolve the problem because of its responsibility to the public, even though the floating LNG terminal used to regasify imported LNG is a privately managed facility.

The prime minister had written to Anwar Ibrahim on Monday about the issue, and Education Adviser Mahdi Amin, who is visiting Malaysia, handed over the letter in Kuala Lumpur. Anwar said he would quickly consult his team and relevant ministries on possible assistance and inform Rahman. Amit said the energy ministry, Petrobangla and RPGCL were working around the clock, while Rahman remained in contact over developments.