Japan PM Abe assures Bangladesh of help to achieve middle-income country status

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said his country will help Bangladesh achieve the status of a middle-income country by 2021.

He gave the assurance during a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina at Nagoya in Japan on Saturday.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, prime minister’s Principal Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Mohammad Mesbahuddin accompanied Hasina in the bilateral meeting.

The members of the Bangladesh delegation briefed the media later in Tokyo.

They said Abe ordered his officials to take ‘proper steps’ when Hasina placed some proposals for Bangladesh’s development.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said, “The discussion was successful. It was held in an enthusiastic environment and there was spontaneous response to our prime minister’s proposals.”

The two leaders agreed to enhance the bilateral tie further.

“The Japanese prime minister said his country will continue to help Sheikh Hasina’s dream of achieving middle-income country status by 2021,” Haque said.

ERD Secretary Mesbahuddin said Abe and Hasina both agreed that the cooperation between the two countries had strengthened after Hasina’s tour of Japan in 2014.

Japan expressed eagerness to enhance trade and investment, he said.

He said Japan would clear $1.5 billion soft loan out of the $6 billion it has pledged.

Japan emphasised quality infrastructure. The Matarbarhi Power Plant, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transport, and separate rail lines alongside Bangabandhu Bridge will be built as quality infrastructure projects.

The ERD secretary said the construction of a third terminal in Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport was also discussed at the meeting.

He said the Bangladesh side told Japan that it would be possible to partially launch the terminal by 2019.

“JICA has agreed in principle to partially launch the terminal by 2019. They will also take steps to make it fully operational by 2020,” he said.

The two leaders also discussed the Bangabandhu International Airport project.

Foreign Secretary Haque said Abe ordered JICA to take steps when Hasina urged him to consider signing a deal like “trade creation investment with buyback agreement”.

They also discussed Japanese investment in the Exclusive Economic Zone.