Japan PM leaves Dhaka
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Dhaka this morning wrapping up his brief but significant visit seen here as a watershed event in the Bangladesh-Japan relationship.
Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali saw him off at VVIP tarmac at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 10:30am.
Before leaving Dhaka for Sri Lankan capital Colombo, the Japanese PM visited the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Dhaka University this morning.
In a major policy decision in favour of Japan, Bangladesh withdrew its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2016-17 after Abe arrived in Dhaka yesterday afternoon on a 21-hour official tour.
The Bangladesh prime minister declared this in a joint press announcement with her Japanese counterpart at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday.
She said, “… in view of Japan's continued and strong support for Bangladesh's development process, and in the solidarity and unity of the Asia-Pacific Group at the UN, it is my pleasure to declare that Bangladesh will support Japan's candidature from the Group.”
Welcoming Bangladesh's decision, Japanese Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratefulness to the Bangladesh premier for her wholehearted cooperation.
During the visit, Abe reiterated his earlier commitment to provide up to 600 billion Yen ($5.71 billion) in additional assistance to Bangladesh in about four to five years from 2014.
Abe had announced this financial assistance on May 26 during Hasina's visit to Japan.
This is the first visit of a Japanese PM in 14 years. The then premier Yoshiro Mori visited Bangladesh in 2000.
Abe also met President M Abdul Hamid and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushon Ershad in addition to his other programmes. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also met Abe at Sonargaon Hotel.
The Japanese prime minister addressed the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Board of Investment (BoI), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) at the Sonargaon Hotel.
Sheikh Hasina hosted a banquet in honour of her Japanese counterpart at Sonargaon Hotel, which was followed by a cultural programme on Saturday evening.
Abe visited the National Mausoleum in Savar and paid tribute to martyrs of the War of Independence in 1971 and later the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi.
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