PM Hasina meets Japan’s Shinzo Abe in New York

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to make more investments in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) created for his country.

In a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, they discussed the progress of the Japanese-backed mega projects in Bangladesh, BSS news agency said.

It said Abe noted that the cooperation between the two countries had been further enhanced at the bilateral and multilateral levels following his visit to Bangladesh.

He came to Dhaka four months after Hasina’s visit to Tokyo in May 2014. 

The joint statement issued during Abe’s visit had said the two countries emphasised the deepening of bilateral political relations, economic cooperation, cooperation on peace, security and cultural issues, greater people-to-people contact, and cooperation on the issues of mutual interest at regional and international forums.

Bangladesh withdrew its candidacy for the non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in support of Japan, its biggest development partner.

Bangladesh has already approved two special economic zones for Japanese investors.

The BSS report said Abe lauded Bangladesh's progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He also said Bangladesh and Japan would work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for the next 15 years.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dipu Moni were present at the meeting.