Dhaka - Bangladesh and Germany were expected to focus on investment, trade and development cooperation at secretary-level talks slated for Wednesday, officials said.

The state secretary for the Foreign Ministry of Germany, Reinhard Silberberg, was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka Tuesday to meet with his Bangladeshi counterpart Touhid Hossain.

"The foreign secretary-level consultations between the two countries were taking place only four weeks after the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. This clearly indicates the importance Germany attaches to its relations with Bangladesh," said a release issued by the German embassy in Dhaka.

Germany has been a development partner of Bangladesh for the last 37 years and it provided 4.4 billion euros (5.8 billion dollars) as direct assistance or indirect multilateral aid contributions to combat poverty, protect human rights and achieve economic development.

The annual trade volume between Germany and Bangladesh is steadily increasing and set to reach about 2 billion euros, with Bangladesh enjoying a trade surplus of more than 1.3 billion euros annually, according to the German embassy.

Germany is the second-largest export destination for Bangladesh after the United States.

Although clothing makes up the bulk of Bangladesh's exports, the South Asian nation is also hoping to expand trade with Germany in other sectors. (dpa)