Bangladesh to seek more Japanese investment during PM visit

Bangladesh will prioritise increasing Japanese investment and expanding economic partnerships during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to Japan, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Saturday.

“Our main priorities during the Japan visit will be to strengthen bilateral relations, deepen economic partnerships and increase investment,” he told journalists after attending a seminar titled “From Workforce to Strategic Partnership: Reimagining Bangladesh-KSA Relations”.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to leave for a four-day visit to Japan on October 26.

Humaiun said Bangladesh would focus on trade, investment and development partnerships across various sectors, in line with its broader approach to international engagement.

Bangladesh now seeks reciprocal investment partnerships with countries around the world in clearly defined areas of cooperation, he added.

Describing Japan as one of Bangladesh’s largest and longstanding development partners, the state minister said Japanese investment in several mega projects had helped strengthen bilateral diplomatic and economic ties.

He recalled that the prime minister had virtually attended an energy summit in Japan in April as an invited guest of the Japanese prime minister when the country was facing an energy crisis.

The engagement had helped build confidence in the Bangladesh prime minister among the Japanese government, he said.

The upcoming visit would include detailed discussions on sector-specific cooperation and opportunities for reciprocal investment, Humaiun added.

On the prime minister’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia, the state minister said the Saudi Crown Prince had invited Tarique Rahman to the Kingdom and the prime minister had accepted the invitation.

“He has accepted and will do so at some point very soon,” he said.

The Saudi Crown Prince had also expressed interest in visiting Bangladesh, Humaiun said, adding that Dhaka would welcome him at a mutually convenient time.

Asked about protecting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, the state minister said Bangladesh’s position was clear and uncompromising.

He said Bangladesh, as one of the world’s largest Muslim-majority countries, stood ready to provide necessary support if requested for initiatives to protect the holy sites and mosques of the Muslim world.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and the Center for Migration Studies of North South University (NSU).

Foreign Ministry Secretary (Bilateral) Dr Md Nazrul Islam and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed attended as special guests.

BIISS Director General Major General A S M Ridwanur Rahman and NSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury also addressed the seminar.