Six Cooperation Documents Signed During Tarique Rahman's Japan Visit, $295.5 Million in Loan Pledges for Two Projects
Six bilateral cooperation documents have been signed between Bangladesh and Japan during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ongoing visit to Japan. Japan has also pledged loans of about $295.5 million for two projects.
Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Swadhin gave the information about the achievements of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's Japan visit from 26 to 29 October at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The signed documents cover cooperation in maritime security, economic relations, agriculture, employment, fisheries and livestock, and climate change, among other areas.
Among the documents is a grant agreement of up to 2.12 billion Japanese yen ($13.44 million) to supply a patrol vessel to strengthen Bangladesh's coastal security capability.
A memorandum of cooperation (MoC) on strengthening economic relations and improving the business environment was also signed between Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Economic Relations Division of Bangladesh's Ministry of Finance.
Two separate memoranda of cooperation were signed with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by Bangladesh's Ministry of Agriculture and its Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
A memorandum of cooperation was also signed on the Employment for Skill Development Programme (ESDP), a programme to create employment through skills development.
A letter of intent (LoI) was also signed between Japan's Ministry of the Environment and Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to strengthen cooperation on climate change.
Among the loan pledges, Japan will lend 15.88 billion Japanese yen ($100.8 million) to implement a project on improving the investment environment.
Japan also pledged 30.68 billion Japanese yen ($194.7 million) in loans to implement the second phase of the Upazila Governance and Development Project. The total loans for the two projects amount to 46.56 billion Japanese yen, equal to about $295.5 million.
These documents, memoranda of cooperation and loan pledges are being seen as among the most important achievements of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's four-day official visit. During the visit, the two countries took initiatives to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including economic development.
During the visit, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also met Japanese political leaders, business representatives and development partners. The meetings discussed investment, technology transfer, skills development and expanding economic cooperation.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Japan on Monday (26 October) for the four-day visit at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A high-level delegation including Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir and the chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority accompanied him to Japan.
