ZVZV
BSS-38
BANGLADESH-JAPAN-TIES
Japan to continue supporting Bangladesh’s development
DHAKA, Oct 10, 2020 (BSS) – Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki today said
Tokyo will continue to support Bangladesh’s development as it directly
leads to the overall stability of the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific
region.
“Ongoing deep-sea port construction in Matarbari, are essential for
the development of Bangladeshi industries and will symbolize the
future of Bangladesh once they are completed,” he said in a statement
marking his one-year stay here as the Japanese envoy.
He also expressed his keenness to work further on improving the
business environment here to make the trade and investment between
Japan and Bangladesh more robust.
“I would like to continue to devote myself to further deepen mutual
understanding and exchanges of people between Japan and Bangladesh,”
Ito said.
In the statement the envoy also mentioned various developments in
the bilateral relations of the two countries in one year that included
high-level exchanges and dialogues in a wide range of areas.
He recalled the President Abdul Hamid’s visit to Japan for attending
the enthronement ceremony of Japanese new Emperor Naruhito and
teleconference between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with her the then
Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in last one year.
Mentioning that COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting economic
activities and cultural exchanges between the two countries, he said
“even during this challenging time, Japan has been supporting
Bangladesh in its fight against the pandemic”.
The ambassador said Japanese government signed to provide
Bangladesh government with the COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency
Budget Support Loan for JPY 35 billion (Approximately USD 330 million)
in August.
In addition, Japan provided medical equipment for healthcare
sectors as well as emergency support through international
organizations, he added.
Besides, he said, the year 2020 was remarkable in terms of Official
Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan to Bangladesh, as the largest
ever annual ODA loan package of JPY 338 billion (approximately USD 3.2
billion) was signed in August.
BSS/TA/MRU/2206hrs