Bangladesh
Bangladesh-Japan PM hopes Bangladesh-Japan's integrated partnership will reach new heights
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, June 17: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that 'Japan-Bangladesh-Integrated Partnership' has been launched with the aim of taking the friendly relations between the two countries to new heights of strategic partnership.
She said, "We have launched 'Japan-Bangladesh Integrated Partnership' to take friendly relations to a new height. Our integrated partnership is going to evolve into a strategic partnership in the near future."
In a video message aired on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Bangladesh and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), she sought Japan's help in achieving Bangladesh's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2041. She recalled that Bangladesh was deeply grateful for the invaluable support and contribution of Japan and its people during the war of liberation.
Sheikh Hasina expressed her belief that sincerity, friendship and mutual respect are the core values of long lasting bilateral relations. She said Bangladesh and Japan are moving forward by maintaining relations based on those values and common interests.
She recalled that Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman laid the foundation of Bangladesh-Japan relations through his first visit to Tokyo in 1973.
The Prime Minister recalled her own visits to Japan in 1992, 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019, as well as the visit of the then Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, to Bangladesh in 2014 to strengthen relations between the two countries. Highlighting JICA's contribution to Bangladesh's development, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh recognizes Japan as its most loyal friend and the single largest development partner.
She said the total amount of JICA's financial assistance to Bangladesh now stands at USD 28 billion, starting from USD 10.6 million in goods grant assistance in 1971-72.
With the help of JICA, Matarbari Coal Based Power Plant, Matarbari Port Development Project, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge over Jamuna River, Metro Rail Network in Dhaka and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Project are being implemented.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is moving forward to fulfill the dream of the father of the nation to make Bangladesh a developed country. It has already been recognized as a developing country in 2026.
