Japan to keep working Bangladesh’s development, stability: ITO Naoki

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Japanese Ambassador here ITO Naoki has said his government will keep working towards improving regional connectivity through infrastructure projects, as well as for the development and the stability of Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

“Japan will promote practical cooperation with Bangladesh to realize the vision of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region,” he said in a message today marking his two-year completion of duty in Bangladesh.

He said resolving the issue of the Rohingyas is also crucial from the perspective of realizing FOIP.

The recent situation in Myanmar since the coup last February has made the repatriation of refugees more difficult, he added.

Japan will work with the international community for humanitarian assistance and the repatriation of the displaced people,” said the envoy welcoming the MOU recently signed between Bangladesh and UN agencies to cooperate in the relocation plan of the refugees to Bashan Char Island.

Referring the letter of Japanese prime minister wrote to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, he said, Japanese premier Kishida Fumio stated that he would strive to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

“The Government of Japan will work vigorously to deepen understanding of Japan further, expand people-to-people exchange and promote Japanese culture in Bangladesh, by holding the anniversary events in 2022,” said the envoy.

Currently, he said large-scale Japanese infrastructure projects like Dhaka Metro, expansion of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Jamuna Railway Bridge, and Matarbari Deep Sea Port symbolize that the rapid economic growth of Bangladesh are steadily underway.

At the same time, we will redouble our efforts to improve the investment climate for Japanese companies as they expand their investment and their business,” he said.

Noting that Bangladesh became the world largest recipient country of yen loans (approximately 332 billion yen on a commitment basis), Naoki said, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a year of deepening friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

From July to August, he said Japan provided more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Bangladesh.

“We will also continue our efforts to make the vaccination available further to Japanese citizens in Bangladesh,” he added. (BSS)