[ Front Page ] 2019-05-27
 
BD-Japan to sign $2.5b ODA
 
P R Biswas:

Bangladesh will sign a US$2.5 billion credit deal with Japan for five mega projects during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming Tokyo visit, foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said yesterday. "During the visit, the 40th ODA [official development assistance] will be signed between the two countries," he told a media briefing ahead of the premier's tri-nation tour.

During her 12-day tour which will begin on May 28, the prime minister will also visit Saudi Arabia and Finland.The foreign minister said the amount of credit the two countries will sign the deal for will be 35 percent higher than that of the last year's ODA.

The five projects to be implemented with the Japanese ODA are Matarbari port construction; Dhaka mass rapid transit development, foreign direct investment promotion, energy efficiency and conservation promotion financing, and Matarbari ultra-super critical coal-fired power construction.

The minister said Tokyo is increasing its assistance in communications, power and energy and industrialization of Bangladesh as bilateral relations have upgraded to comprehensive partnership stage.He said the deal will be signed after a bilateral official meeting on May 29, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe will issue a joint statement. 

Abe will host an official dinner in honor of the Bangladesh premier at his residence.On May 30, Sheikh Hasina will speak at Nikkei Inc's international conference titled "The Future of Asia", to be joined by Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, Cambodian premier Hun Sen and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.Momen said the prime minister in her paper will highlight the future of the 'Emerging Asia' and its potential, Bangladesh development process and the Rohingya crisis.

He said the Rohingya crisis is likely to largely feature the premier's tri-nation visit. The prime minister will also attend a business roundtable with top Japanese entrepreneurs and address a gathering of expatriate Bangladeshi living in Tokyo, he said.

On May 31, Sheikh will depart from Japan for Jeddah to attend the 14th session of the OIC's Islamic Summit in Makkah."Our prime minister will be the only women head of the government to attend the OIC summit," Momen said.The foreign minister said the Rohingya crisis will get priority on the agenda of the summit. 

"We hope that the summit would advance the process of brining Rohingya issue to the International Court of Justice for establishing legal rights of Rohingyas in Myanmar," he said.The prime minister will perform Umrah at Makkah on June 1. On June 2, she will go to Madina and offer Fateha at the Rawza Mubarak (shrine) of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

On June 3, the prime minister will leave Saudi Arabia for Finland, where she will hold a bilateral meeting with Finish president Sauli Niinistö on June 4.She is expected to return home from Finland on June 8 after taking a stopover at New Delhi.
Print Close  
Print Close  
News Source
            Top
            Top
 
Home / About Us / Benifits /Invite a Friend / Policy
Copyright © Hawker 2009-2010, Allright Reserved