Kuala Lumpur, Dec 3 (IANS): Bangladesh signed four agreements with Malaysia Wednesday, ranging from exporting manpower and partially easing visa requirements to cooperation in tourism and cultural exchanges.

The deals were signed in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak in Putra Jaya, bdnews24.com reported.

The deals included a protocol amending the 2012 memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the employment of workers from Bangladesh in Malaysia.

The amendment will allow the recruitment of at least 12,000 Bangladeshi workers in Sarawak state, outside mainland Malaysia.

The number may be raised to 60,000 later, said Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque.

An agreement "on partial abolition of visa requirements" was also signed.

Malaysia, a large manpower market for Bangladesh, has about 600,000 Bangladeshis employed in various sectors.

Malaysian Prime Minister Razak told Hasina that his country wished to take its ties with Bangladesh to "greater heights", according to Haque.