Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have expressed a firm commitment to strengthening the Japan-Bangladesh partnership in trade, infrastructure, deep-sea ports and foreign investment.
They spoke at a joint press conference after the two prime ministers’ meeting at the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Tuesday, October 27.
The meeting began at 11:45am Japan time. Earlier, when the Bangladeshi head of government arrived at the prime minister’s office at 11:30am, Sanae Takaichi welcomed him and Tarique Rahman was given a guard of honour, after which the two leaders went into the summit.
Tarique Rahman said: “Japan holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh. Our friendship is founded on mutual respect, trust and a shared vision of peace, prosperity and stability. As a peace-loving nation, Japan was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh after our independence in 1971.”
“For more than five decades, Japan has been one of our most valued development partners, contributing significantly to Bangladesh’s socio-economic progress and infrastructure development. We deeply value this enduring friendship,” he said.
He added: “In today’s meeting, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and I had fruitful discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues. Reaffirming our long friendship, we expressed our firm commitment to strengthening our partnership in energy, ICT, trade and infrastructure, deep-sea ports and foreign investment.”
The Bangladeshi head of government said: “During this visit we have taken concrete steps to strengthen our bilateral relations and signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in key areas. The joint statement sets out the outcomes and priorities of our talks. The partnership between Bangladesh and Japan is built on decades of friendship. Today we have the opportunity to take it to new heights.”
He continued: “I warmly invite Japanese investors, businesses and financial institutions to explore the opportunities Bangladesh offers and to become partners in the next phase of our growth. We are committed to working with our Japanese partners to open up productive investment, technology transfer, job creation and other beneficial business opportunities.”
Tarique Rahman said: “We can build a more resilient and prosperous future for both our countries. Our ambition is clear: to turn the friendship between our two countries into a powerful engine of economic opportunity and partnership. Let us build a partnership that serves our people today and leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
Separately, to raise bilateral relations to a higher level, Tarique Rahman and Sanae Takaichi issued a joint declaration on strengthening cooperation to ensure the peace and security of the two countries.
At the meeting, a historic decision was taken to raise relations to the level of a “strategic partnership”.
Sanae Takaichi said relations between the two countries had grown stronger over the past 50 years.
Describing Japan as a trusted, long-term partner of Bangladesh, she said Japan has always played an important part in Bangladesh’s economic growth.
The Japanese prime minister expressed hope that the upgrade to a “strategic partnership” would open a new horizon in Bangladesh-Japan relations.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report