No third country reference came up during PM’s Japan visit: Humaiun Kobir

Highlights:

• No third-country issues discussed during PM’s Japan visit
• BIG-B upgraded to “Shared Prosperity” initiative
• Japan eyes 1 trillion yen investment, 200,000 jobs
• Japan to provide Bangladesh with a patrol vessel

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir today (30 October) said no reference to any third country came up for discussion during the Prime Minister’s just-concluded official visit to Japan, stressing that the visit focused exclusively on an economic partnership between the two countries.

“We made it very clear… no third country reference. We didn’t go there to discuss the Bay of Bengal because the Bay of Bengal doesn’t belong to us only,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighting the achievements of the visit.

Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, who is set to become the next Foreign Secretary and Additional Foreign Secretary (Public Diplomacy and Other Priority Matters) AKM Shahidul Karim were also present at the media briefing.

The state minister said Bangladesh is building a respectful bilateral economic partnership with Japan. “It’s an investment-driven partnership.”

In light of the rapidly changing global situation, increasing supply chain risks, rapid technological innovation and mounting social issues, Bangladesh and Japan agreed to upgrade BIG-B to “BIG-B for Shared Prosperity” as an initiative of “strategic cooperation” under the exclusive partnership between the two countries.

Responding to a question, Kobir said there was no scope for the government to go against the interests of the country and its people.

On the Rohingya issue, the State Minister said it was an important national security issue, and Bangladesh continued to raise it, as the solution to the problem lies in Myanmar.

The Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and Japan held a summit in Tokyo on October 27, followed by a joint press occasion and a luncheon.

The two leaders issued a “Japan-Bangladesh Joint Statement” after the summit meeting.

The Japanese Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on assuming office, describing him as a friend who shares the values of democracy.

She said that amid growing global instability, Japan strongly supports Bangladesh’s ability to make its own decisions and its resilience under the updated “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” and intends to further develop bilateral relations under the “Strategic Partnership”.

She also expressed her intention to work with Prime Minister Rahman towards peace and prosperity in the region.

In response, Prime Minister Rahman stated that Japan had followed the path of a peace-loving nation and was among the first countries to recognise Bangladesh’s independence.

He said Japan holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh.

Rahman also said that Japan and Bangladesh had cultivated long-standing amicable relations and expressed his commitment to working together with Prime Minister Takaichi to take bilateral relations to new heights.

The two leaders concurred on upgrading the concept of the “Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B)” into a new strategic cooperation initiative, “BIG-B for Shared Prosperity”, based on four pillars: (1) strengthening connectivity; (2) preparedness for natural disasters and geopolitical risks; (3) public-private partnerships for the co-creation of economic growth opportunities and rule-making; and (4) cooperation for peace and stability.

They also agreed to work together to make the Bay of Bengal region, with Bangladesh as its hub, a “region of shared prosperity”.

Prime Minister Takaichi said upcoming private investment by Japanese businesses in Bangladesh is projected to reach one trillion yen over the next five years, with an expected 200,000 jobs to be created, and expressed her intention to send a business mission to Bangladesh in the near future.

In response, Tarique Rahman said he welcomed and highly valued investment from Japanese businesses.

The two leaders agreed that their governments would work to ensure the early entry into force of the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and promote cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, agricultural, forestry and fishery products, the environment and climate change, as well as aviation.

Prime Minister Takaichi expressed her expectation that Prime Minister Rahman would provide leadership in creating an environment conducive to Japanese business activities and promoting public-private cooperation.

Prime Minister Rahman responded that the Government of Bangladesh would also work towards this goal in a transparent manner.

Regarding security, Prime Minister Takaichi announced that Japan had decided to provide a patrol vessel to enhance Bangladesh’s maritime security capabilities under Security-Contributing ODA.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing security and defence cooperation and working together to maintain peace and security in the region.

Prime Minister Rahman expressed his deep gratitude for the cooperation extended by the Government and people of Japan to Bangladesh to date and stated his intention to work towards “shared prosperity” for the two countries.

Reflecting on the cooperation between the two countries, which has expanded across a wide range of fields, including security, the economy and people-to-people exchanges, he expressed his intention to continue strengthening cooperation with Japan in various areas.