Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi on Monday appreciated the new government’s ‘well-conceived plan’ which, in his interpretation, consists of a reconciliation to break the old time cycle, restoration of law and order, and economic growth through enhanced investment.
“All these will positively affect investors' minds and the prerequisite of accelerating economic growth through more FDIs,” he said, reiterating Japan’s ‘true appreciation’ for the peaceful elections which Bangladesh has achieved February this year and new administration's well-conceived plan.
The Ambassador made the remarks while speaking at a commemorative event for Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Bangladesh.
Prime Minister’s Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Head of the Economic Section at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh Yutaro Mochida, Deputy Director-General (Ambassador), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Izuru Kobayashi (online message) also spoke at the opening session of the event.
Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Ashik Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the second session of the event.
The event was hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh and Japan External Trade Organization Dhaka Office (JETRO Dhaka) while it was supported by Japanese Commerce and Industry Association in Dhaka (JCIAD/Shoo-Koo-Kai) and Japan Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JBCCI).
The Ambassador said Bangladesh and Japan have shared a long-standing friendship (0:25) since your independence. “As your faithful and dedicated development partner, Japan has consistently supported Bangladesh as a nation irrespective of its ruling party.”
He said this cooperation has evolved into today's strategic partnership founded on trust and shared values.
The Ambassador recalled that before signing the EPA, some critics were seen in the Bangladesh press. “I thought in my mind at the time that they might be looking at as long as three years, maybe a little bit short cycle.”
As was the case in our EPAs with leading ASEAN countries, he said EPAs should be concluded with a decade-long perspective - 30, 50, 70 years. “You see, most of our partners of ASEAN have jumped into a robust economic growth trajectory.”
The envoy said Bangladesh is now standing at the doorstep of the safe path. Other criticism at the time was that Japanese commitments were not concessional enough.
“As a previous negotiator with India, I can assure you this is by far the most concessionary EPA Japan has ever signed,” he claimed.
More importantly, the envoy said, it is not only about each timeframe and it is about legal assurance for businessmen, traders, farmers, manufacturers, and most significantly, investors, given that it perfectly matches new administration and BNP's manifesto focusing on enhanced growth through more ideas.
“Another significant point I should raise - I want to raise here - is that we could send a clear message to the world that we both uphold free trade,” he said.
Considering the international trade circumstances, the EPA signing at this time does mean a lot, said the Japanese envoy.
Looking back at their negotiation history, he said they faced boosted, powerful, and tough Bangladeshi negotiators in front of them.
Japanese Ambassador Saida Shinichi meets Foreign Adviser Touhid
“We are even sometimes pushed into a corner. Bangladeshi tough negotiators got even confident enough to name the European Union as the next target. I just crossed my fingers to them,” the envoy said.
The Ambassador said there is a key for Asia's development path and hoped that together they will inspire new ideas, foster new collaborations, and create new success stories between the two nations.