Bangladesh Development

PID Diana Jans, Minister of State for International Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.

Prime Minister Hasina reiterates her commitment to hold free and fair elections

After the meeting, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted Sheikh Hasina as saying to the media, "We are committed to holding the next general election in a free and fair manner."

Karim said that Sweden also wants free and fair elections to be held in Bangladesh.

During the meeting, both the leaders expressed satisfaction for the excellent relations between Bangladesh and Sweden.

The Prime Minister said the Ukraine-Russia ceasefire and the money saved through the cessation of hostilities should be spent on the welfare of mankind. "There should be no ban on transportation of food grains," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said that due to war and sanctions, inflation, commodity prices and cost of goods transportation have increased.

The head of government said that there is no food crisis in Bangladesh. Because, agriculturists are playing a major role in increasing food production. She also said that his government is establishing 100 Special Economic Zones across the country. The prime minister also offered a plot of land for Swedish investment.

On the Rohingya issue, the Swedish State Minister praised the prime minister for providing shelter to more than one million displaced Myanmar citizens and said her government wants the dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to their homeland, Myanmar.

She lauded Sheikh Hasina's leadership for the overall development of Bangladesh, particularly in women empowerment, poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation.

The head of government said that unfortunately developed countries are not doing enough to deal with the effects of climate change.

The State Minister of Sweden also said that the deep sea port will play a major role in the development of Bangladesh.