United News of Bangladesh

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday urged Canada to boost its investment in Bangladesh and expand cooperation in various sectors. He made the call when Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban. During the meeting, the Canadian envoy handed over a congratulatory message from Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour to the President. In reply, Mirza Fakhrul thanked her for the message. The President praised Canada's long tradition of democratic practices and sought its cooperation in institutionalising democracy in Bangladesh. He said the current government is facing challenges due to the prolonged absence of democratic practices and parliamentary traditions and has initiated necessary reforms to institutionalise democracy. Ajit said bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Canada has exceeded 4 billion Canadian dollars annually, noting that there is further scope to expand trade between the two countries. He also informed the President of the upcoming visit of a Canadian minister dealing with foreign affairs to Bangladesh. The President called for greater Canadian cooperation in agriculture, food security, fertiliser, IT, outsourcing and other sectors. He also sought increased Canadian cooperation in education, particularly in technical education, technology, nursing and medical fields. On the Rohingya issue, High Commissioner Ajit highlighted Canada's support, saying the Canadian government has so far provided around 600 million Canadian dollars in assistance. Mirza Fakhrul thanked the Canadian government for its continued support and urged Canada to play an effective role in mounting international pressure for the voluntary and safe return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar. He further said more than 100,000 Bangladeshis are contributing to the development of Canada. The President's secretaries and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the meeting. Political Counsellor of the Canadian High Commission Marcus Devies was also present.