Japanese ambassador meets President Mirza Fakhrul

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh SAIDA Shinichi paid a courtesy call on President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday.

During the meeting, they discussed ways to further strengthen the longstanding friendly ties between Bangladesh and Japan and cooperation in infrastructure, trade and investment, human resource development, agriculture, energy and employment.

The ambassador handed over a congratulatory message from Japanese Emperor Naruhito to the President on his recent election as President of Bangladesh.

In the message, Emperor Naruhito conveyed his sincere congratulations and good wishes to the President and wished happiness and prosperity for the people of Bangladesh.

President Mirza Fakhrul thanked the Emperor for the message and conveyed his greetings and gratitude to him and the people of Japan, while wishing the Emperor good health, well-being and longevity.

The President expressed gratitude for Japan's longstanding friendship and development partnership with Bangladesh. He praised Japan's support for infrastructure development projects, including the Dhaka Metro Rail and Meghna Bridge.

He expressed hope that the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport would be brought into operation soon with Japan's support for its operation and management. The ambassador assured him that the work would be completed soon.

The President thanked Japan for providing employment opportunities to Bangladeshi workers and urged the country to explore the possibility of establishing vocational training institutions in Bangladesh for technical education and Japanese-language training.

He also called for expanding scholarship opportunities for Bangladeshi students in Japan.

The President invited Japanese investment in various sectors, particularly fruit and agricultural produce processing, in different parts of Bangladesh, especially the northern region. The ambassador expressed interest in the proposal and reiterated Japan's interest in expanding economic cooperation with Bangladesh.

The ambassador also expressed Japan's willingness to support Bangladesh in ensuring energy security and dealing with volatility in the international energy market.

Appreciating Japan's humanitarian assistance to forcibly displaced Rohingyas, the President sought continued Japanese pressure and support on Myanmar for their safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation.

The President thanked the ambassador for his role in strengthening Bangladesh-Japan relations and reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to upgrading the longstanding friendly ties into a strategic partnership.

Recalling former President Ziaur Rahman's visits to Japan in 1978 and 1980 and then prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia's official visit in 2005, he said the visits had played an important role in strengthening bilateral relations.

The ambassador expressed satisfaction with Bangladesh's recent progress and political transition and said Japan was keen to continue cooperation with the current government.

The President's Military Secretary, Secretary, Press Secretary and an additional secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present during the meeting.