Dhaka  - Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed Sunday urged Romanian authorities to recruit Bangladeshi workers to help contribute to the south-east European country's economy.

The president was commenting during ceremonies as outgoing Romanian Ambassador Vasile Sofineti paid a farewell visit, with Ahmed offering skilled and semi-skilled labour, according to a statement released by the Presidential office.

Dhaka has been looking for alternative markets for its manpower resources as its main destinations in the Middle East have significantly reduced worker recruitment from Bangladesh this year.

"Our relations with Romania are multifaceted and growing. It is now an important destination for our workers. Our trade is also expanding," Foreign Minister Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said after meeting with Sofineti.

Remittances by workers abroad, reaching 6 billion dollars annual, are an important factor in Bangladesh's economy.

Beside its existing manpower export destinations of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain. Oman, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and Brunei, Bangladesh has now been seeking to find manpower markets for its workers in Europe and America. (dpa)