Come and invest in special economic zones

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday invited Swedish, Spanish and Norwegian investors to set up manufacturing factories in Bangladesh's special economic zones (SEZs).

The minister made the call when Ambassador of Sweden Alexandra Berg Von Linde, Ambassador of Spain Francisco de Asís Benítez Salas and Ambassador of Norway Espen Rikter-Svendsen called on him at the state guest house Padma in Dhaka.

By investing in the SEZs, the foreign investors can avail the tax benefits and attractive foreign direct investment-friendly packages offered by Bangladesh, Momen said.

They can also take advantage of Bangladesh's demographic dividend and the large domestic market, the minister said.

Mentioning the current government's 'Digital Bangladesh' mandate, Momen informed the ambassadors about the country's recent development in the ICT sector.

The minister also urged the ambassadors to encourage their investors to invest in the 28 hi-tech parks Bangladesh currently has.

Bangladesh has friendly relation with Spain, Sweden and Norway and the south Asian country has mutually beneficial economic cooperation with all the three, Momen said.

After congratulating the new ambassadors on their assumption of office in Bangladesh, the minister discussed the whole range of bilateral as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

He also stressed that the international community needs to take urgent steps to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

He pointed out that strong pressure needs to be put on Myanmar to ensure that its government takes back the Rohingyas who have taken shelter in Bangladesh in a safe, dignified and sustainable manner.

Although it has been more than three years since the mass exodus of Rohingyas to Bangladesh from their homeland Myanmar, not a single Rohingya has been repatriated to Myanmar because the Myanmar authorities have not created the conducive environment for repatriation, said Momen.

All three ambassadors strongly commended Bangladesh for its humanitarian stance for the Rohingyas.

They appreciated the extraordinary humanitarian gesture of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by providing shelter to the 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine State of Myanmar after being persecuted by their own state.