Dhaka-Tokyo relations to be strengthened
THE people of Bangladesh heartily welcome Prime Minister of Japan His Excellency Shinzo Abe to their beloved country. Japan is known to them as a good and trusted friend and they respect the long-standing relations based on shared values of peace, democracy, human rights and rule of law. Therefore, it is only natural that they will expect further strengthening of the bilateral relations and widening of the horizon of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Japan has been a dependable partner since the birth of Bangladesh in the development of various vital sectors. In fact, Japanese assistance in Bangladesh has been multifaceted, encompassing sectors like infrastructure (roads, bridges, railway), energy, health, IT, climate-related projects, river-management and so on. During the visit of Shinzo Abe it is expected that details of significant economic and technical cooperation in priority sectors will be at the top of the agenda.
It may be mentioned here that during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan, the government of Shinzo Abe pledged an assistance of US$5.7 billion to be spread over the next 4 to 5 years. Bangladesh will receive support from Japan for the development of its power sector, among other areas, for attaining uninterrupted electricity supply for the next 15 years. It will be done under a master plan which JICA is conducting on the basis of diversification of fuel resources.
Talks are likely to bring up the issues of formation of Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt ; construction of Ganges Barrage, multi-modal tunnel under the river Jamuna, dedicated railway bridge over the river Jamuna, multi-modal Dhaka Eastern Bypass and ecological restoration of the four rivers around Dhaka.
It may be recalled here that during the recent Japan visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina the two prime ministers launched the 'Japan – Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership'. Some of the key points of the partnership joint statement, that concern Bangladesh, are discussed below.
The two prime ministers decided that Japan and Bangladesh would initiate and carry forward policy dialogue so as to deepen their cooperation in the context of evolving global security environment.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina endorsed Japan's increasing efforts to contribute actively in securing regional and global peace, stability and prosperity. She expressed her support and appreciation for Japan's policy of “Proactive Contribution to Peace” based on the principle of international cooperation. Prime Minister Abe appreciated the expression of Bangladesh's support.
The two prime ministers acknowledged the importance of integrated approaches to protection, promotion and development of marine natural resources in the adjoining oceans and seas in accordance with international law.
They also shared the importance of an early reform of the United Nations Security Council taking into consideration existing geo-political realities. The joint statement says that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reaffirmed Bangladesh's support for Japan's aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The two prime ministers shared their determination to give impetus to economic development and poverty reduction in Bangladesh. In this regard, they welcomed the signing of the Exchange of Notes concerning the 35th yen loan package projects totaling 120 billion yen which was pledged by Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida during his visit to Bangladesh in March 2014.
As far as regional cooperation is concerned the two prime ministers also agreed on a number of issues, such as, imperatives of discussing and promoting wider regional development, “including fostering regional connectivity, developing economic infrastructure for industrial growth and improving investment environment to attract foreign businesses, including from Japan, while enhancing social development contributing to the improvement of lives and livelihoods of people. In this context, Prime Minister Abe announced his commitment to provide up to 600 billion Yen of additional assistance, mainly Yen loans, including the 35th yen loan package totaling 120 billion Yen, to Bangladesh in about 4 or 5 years from 2014, taking fully into account the proper and smooth implementation of projects.”
The other significant area of cooperation identified in the joint statement is strengthening the capacity to face various challenges in the areas of climate change and disaster risk reduction.
The two prime ministers agreed on expansion of overall bilateral economic relations and the launch of “Joint Bangladesh–Japan Public–Private Economic Dialogue”. In this connection, Prime Minister Abe underscored the importance of an improvement of investment environment in Bangladesh, including infrastructure development, stable energy supply, development of industrial park(s) and accelerated processing of permits, licenses, etc. in order to further facilitate and promote Japanese investment in Bangladesh.
The two prime ministers reaffirmed the importance of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought Japan's cooperation for capacity building in nuclear safety and security. Introduction of Japan's high level medical expertise and technology for the development of medical and health sector in Bangladesh also received due attention.
It is during this visit Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended her invitation to Prime Minister Abe to visit Bangladesh as soon as possible at a mutually convenient time. Prime Minister Abe accepted the invitation with deep appreciation.
The writer is Special Supplements Editor, The Daily Star.
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