Invest in Bangladesh, PM to Italian businesses

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged Italian businesses to invest in Bangladesh's special economic zones for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

"Businesses and investors can invest in Bangladesh in the special economic zones," she said while Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro called on her at her official residence Gono Bhaban.

PM's speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed the reporters after the call on.

He quoted the PM as saying that Bangladesh has a huge domestic market apart from South Asian and South East Asian markets.

"Bangladesh can be the big central market encircling South Asian and South East Asian markets," she said.

The prime minister said that after 2026 Bangladesh will graduate to a developing country.

In this connection, she urged Italy to help in continuing the GSP plus facilities for Bangladeshi exports in the European countries.

She also emphasised increasing trade between the two countries.

"There is ample scope to increase trade and commerce between the two countries," she said.

She requested to explore and utilise those opportunities.

Regarding the illegal migrants in European countries including Italy, the prime minister said that the government is taking all out initiatives so that no one illegally enters any country abroad.

"It is very much regretful that many people including Bangladeshis died in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to go to the European countries," she observed.

"For that we are taking legal steps as well as creating awareness among the people," she said briefly elaborating various measurers of the government.

She requested Italy to take more Bangladeshi manpower through legal process.

The PM extended an invitation to Italian prime minister to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.

The Italian ambassador said that his country wants to assist Bangladesh in technology transfer and defence purchase, and modernisation in various sectors.

He also expressed his country's keen interest in providing the second satellite to Bangladesh.

He put emphasis on trade diversification to tape the trade and commerce opportunities between the two countries.

Talking about the Rohingya issue both agreed on the dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland.

Currently, more than one million Myanmar nationals, Rohingyas, are taking shelter in Bangladesh after being driven out by the Myanmar military junta.