She made the call when Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard paid a courtesy call on her at the latter’s official residence Ganobhaban.
PM's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher briefed reporters after the meeting.
Focusing the immense potential for investment in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh has a highly skilled large young generation.
“If Switzerland makes more investment here (Bangladesh), both the countries will be benefited in return,” she was quoted as saying.
Sheikh Hasina highlighted the country’s different investment facilities, including investment-friendly environment, liberal investment policy, special economic zones and infrastructural facilities.
Mentioning the government’s initiatives to utilise the country’s human resources, she said: “We’ve a huge manpower and the government has been working to turn them into human resources through skills development and generation of different employment opportunities so the manpower can be used properly for the development of the country.”
In response, the Swiss ambassador said there are huge scopes and enormous potentials for investment here in Bangladesh.
Expressing interest to cooperate with Bangladesh in developing human skill, Nathalie Chuard said Switzerland is ready to extend all sorts of cooperation to the Bangladesh government’s efforts for the skill development.
About the Covid-19 pandemic, the ambassador said Switzerland will work together with Bangladesh in combating Covid-19 and provide all sorts of cooperation in this regard.
Praising Bangladesh’s progress, Chuard said that she is impressed seeing the advancement of the country, which continues even during the Covid-19 crisis.
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About the Padma multipurpose bridge, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh has been constructing the bridge with its own financing which would contribute to its GDP by establishing direct transport connectivity with the country’s southern region.
She mentioned that the impacts of the Padma bridge have already started becoming visible in the villages of the southern region as the development works, including installation of solar panels and construction of infrastructures have been initiated.
The Swiss Envoy expressed her country’s keenness to help Bangladesh in the social safety net and development of rural people, saying that both the countries can work together in these fields.
Sheikh Hasina highlighted the successes of her government in different sectors, including education, health, residence for all, food and social safety net.
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Chuard lauded the government for its works towards building ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Switzerland is ready to offer any type of assistance in implementing the ‘Vision-2041’ and the ‘Delta Plan-2100’ of Bangladesh, she added.
She also praised Bangladesh’s measures towards the graduation from least developed countries (LDCs).
Recalling Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s visit to Switzerland in 1972, the Prime Minister said she was accompanied Bangabandhu during the tour. Bangabandhu had collected doctors and nurses from Switzerland during that visit to provide treatment to war-wounded freedom fighters and violated women, she added.
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Sheikh Hasina welcomed the new ambassador and assured to extend all cooperation during her stay in Dhaka.
PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus was present.