Mahinda Rajapaksa

PID

Hasina-Rajapaksa wants to increase trade between the two countries

They agreed at a bilateral meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday (March 20th). During the hour-long meeting, various bilateral, regional and international issues were discussed. Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the journalists about this.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is much less than expected. We should now move quickly to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). A joint feasibility study on a free trade agreement has already been completed.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also emphasized on the participation of the private sector. "Sri Lanka has invested in Bangladesh's power sector," he said. We urge Sri Lankan investors to invest more in Bangladesh's special economic zones, industrial parks and high-tech parks. Emphasis needs to be placed on sharing experiences in the field of agriculture, including paddy farming and clear water fish farming.

Sheikh Hasina emphasized on training of Bangladeshi nurses and other health professionals in Sri Lanka. Referring to Bangladesh's pharmaceutical industry, the Prime Minister said, "Sri Lanka can benefit by importing world-class medicines from Bangladesh."

Noting that the bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka has been fruitful, Sheikh Hasina said, "Regular meetings and existing institutional steps should be taken regularly to take the relationship forward." Bangladesh attaches great importance to bilateral relations with Sri Lanka. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's bilateral relations with Sri Lanka.

Expressing satisfaction over the existence of the two countries, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said, "Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are close friends."

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka praised Bangladesh's transformation into a digital country and emphasized on increasing trade and expanding the trade sector. Mahinda Rajapaksa appreciated the concept of Blue-Economy of Bangladesh and expressed interest in sharing experience with Bangladesh in this regard.

Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed interest in gaining experience from disaster management in Bangladesh. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister also lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in successfully tackling the Corona situation.