Japan-Bangladesh Relations
Japan-Bangladesh Summit Meeting
April 22, 2015
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a Japan-Bangladesh Summit Meeting with H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh on Wednesday April 22, commencing at around 3:00 p.m. (local time) for approximately 15 minutes in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Prime Minister Abe was staying to attend the 60th Asian-African Conference Commemoration.
- Prime Minister Abe said that “Through our historical mutual visits last year, the relations between our countries have become unshakeable. I am delighted that the relations have also been dramatically strengthened by the cooperation of Prime Minister Hasina with regard to the United Nations Security Council. We are grateful for the support from Bangladesh for Japan becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.”
Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan would like to closely cooperate with Bangladesh under the “Japan-Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership”, and expressed his hopes for the cooperation in the form of the economic support of up to 600 billion yen, which has already been pledged for the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative. He also expressed his expectation that the local elections in Bangladesh, which will soon take place, will be conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner. - In response, Prime Minister Hasina, after congratulating Prime Minister Abe on his victory in the last year’s general election, stated that Japan has been a good friend to Bangladesh and an important development partner since its independence. She thanked Japan for its continued support, appreciated the results of their mutual visits last year, explained that progress can be seen in the Matarbari coal-fired power project, as well as in the project for the surrounding infrastructure, and expressed her hopes for an increase in investment from Japan in the future, through the establishment of Japan special economic zones.
- Finally, the two leaders discussed the economic and social situations in Bangladesh, and Prime Minister Abe expressed his respect to Prime Minister Hasina for her leadership that has resulted in her country’s stable economic growth.