Bangladesh asks for more Australian investment

MUSCAT, Jan 23: Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad met Australian Minister for Forestry and Conservation Wilson Tuckey here Saturday and discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including investment by Australian entrepreneurs to Bangladesh, says BSS.

Azad and Tuckey are now in Oman to attend the extraordinary ministerial meeting of IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association of Regional Cooperation).

The foreign minister, who arrived here yesterday, recalled with gratitude the support extended by the people and media in Australia during the country's War of Liberation in 1971 while meeting Tuckey at AK Bustan Palace Hotel.

Tuckey, leader of the delegation, is representing his country's minister for trade in the conference.

Australia is one of the 14 founding members of IOR-ARC launched in 1997. With Bangladesh formally joining this year, the regional body's membership now reaches 19.

The foreign minister said the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Australia, the first-ever by a Bangladeshi head of the government, has been a landmark in the bilateral relations of the two countries and would go a long way in further cementing and expanding the existing ties in all spheres.

Azad expressed his hope that bilateral traded between Bangladesh and Australia will develop further and that Canberra will increase its imports from Bangladesh as the balance of trade is tilting heavily in favour of Australia.

He also expressed happiness at the interest shown by the Australian government in the development activities of the Chittagong region. He also expressed his gratitude to Australia for its support to Bangladesh in gaining membership of the Indian Ocean Rim and said Bangladesh also greatly values its membership of this organisation.

Azad stressed the need for increasing bilateral visits at all levels official and the private sector-to expand and diversify trade and commerce and to enhance technical cooperation. He also stressed extending GSP facilities to Bangladesh.

The foreign minister requested the Australian leader of the delegation to pursue their investors to invest more in Bangladesh, specially in the fields of agro-based and dairy industry and animal husbandry.