Bangladesh, Japan embark on visa-free regime

Bangladesh and Japan have embarked on a visa-free regime by exempting visa for diplomatic passport holders.

During the official meeting between Sheikh Hasina and Shinzo Abe, they also decided to consider visa relaxation for official passport holders in future.

It is to make “easier interaction” between the officials of the two countries, according to a joint statement issued after their meeting on Saturday.

Once the process started, Japan would be the first developed nation where Bangladesh’s diplomats would get visa-free entry, said a senior foreign ministry official.

Abe arrived in Dhaka at about 1pm on a less than 22 hour visit, first by any Japanese prime minister in 14 years.

The visit came after Prime Minister Hasina’s visit in Tokyo in May when “a comprehensive partnership” between two countries took off.

Both leaders signed the Saturday joint statement where they reiterated their resolve to widen bilateral relationship under comprehensive partnership framework.

According to the statement, they had in-depth discussions on wide-ranging bilateral, regional, international and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

The 10-page joint statement outlined the modalities of future engagement under five categories.

These are: deepening bilateral political relations, deepening economic cooperation, cooperation on peace and security issues, cooperation on cultural issues and enhanced people-to-people contact, and cooperation on the issues of mutual interests at regional and international forums.

Abe expressed his deep appreciation to Hasina and to the people of Bangladesh for the “warm welcome, and elaborate and gracious hospitality” extended to him during the visit.

They underscored the need for high level visits including by the top leaders on a regular basis.

They also expressed their resolve that such visits would be maintained in future “in order to take the bilateral relations between the two countries to ever higher plane”.

They discussed visa exemption issue under the ‘cooperation on cultural issues and enhanced people-to-people’ contact that the two leaders believed should be deepened.

They expressed their intention to further strengthen research activities conducted by “Japan Study Centre” of University of Dhaka.

The two prime ministers also expressed their resolve to encourage greater high-level interactions, particularly at high political and government officials as well as between academics, media, youth and sports persons, and cultural personalities to enhance mutual understanding.

They also emphasised the need for increased knowledge sharing initiatives through technical cooperation and capacity building between think tanks and research organisations of the two countries.

Hasina wished for “a very successful” preparation for 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics Games and offered her government's full support in this regard.

She also offered providing workforce in the construction process.

The two leaders also expressed hope that movement of tourists between the two countries would increase in the coming days, and expected that both public and private sectors of the two countries would cooperate in tourism promotion.

Hasina informed Abe that a high powered delegation from Bangladesh would visit Japan later this month with a view to resume direct air connectivity between Bangladesh and Japan.