Courtesy Call by Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

November 29, 2010
Japanese

On November 29 (Mon), Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs, paid a courtesy call on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, who is now visiting Japan, for about 35 minutes from 4:25 p.m. The outline of the meeting is as follows.
At the outset, Minister Maehara extended a warm welcome to Prime Minister Hasina. Referring to the friendly bilateral relations between the two countries since Bangladesh gained its independence, Minister Maehara stated that he would make further efforts to strengthen bilateral economic relations, in view of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2012. Minister Maehara also noted that, with its high annual growth rate of 6% under the leadership of Prime Minister Hasina, Bangladesh has attracted greater interest from Japanese companies, and that further enhancement of investment environment in Bangladesh would contribute to full realization of its growth potential.
In response, Prime Minister Hasina expressed her appreciation for the hospitality extended by the Japanese government on this visit, and stated that Japan is a friend of Bangladesh and that she was pleased with continued development of Japan-Bangladesh relationship. Noting that there are a large number of infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, including railways, elevated railways, monorail, bridges, river and port dredging and underground rail systems, Prime Minister Hasina expressed her intention to make efforts to enhance an investment environment in Bangladesh, with a view to strengthening bilateral economic relations with increased presence of Japanese companies, including through public and private partnership.
Minister Maehara referred to the “Kan Commitment,” which provides assistance for social and human resources mainly in the health and education sectors towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and expressed his hope that the “Kan Commitment” would contribute to improvement in the areas of education and maternal and child health in Bangladesh. In response, Prime Minister Hasina expressed her appreciation, explaining her country’s goals of improving education, healthcare, food security and social security.

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Japan-Bangladesh Joint Statement (November 29, 2010)[PDF]

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