Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates have specified 12 fields of bilateral cooperation at the 5th joint commission meeting between the two countries in Dhaka. The meeting, held in Dhaka, was co-chaired by Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal and UAE State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh. The ministers joined the meeting virtually, while senior officials of both sides attended it physically. Read:Role of accounting profession important for fair spending: Mannan The fields identified for bilateral cooperation are i) Bilateral Trade and Economic Development , ii) Labour, Employment and Consular Relation, iii) Civil Aviation, Tourism and Culture, iv) Investment Opportunities, v) Increased support of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), vi) Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, vii) Information and Communication Technology (ICT), viii) Education, Science and Technology, ix) Marine Environment Development, x) Agriculture, xi) Health Services & Health Education, and xii) Humanitarian & Charitable Areas. The discussions were held in the spirit of understanding, friendship and mutual respect, meeting sources said. Read:Bangladesh Bank announces 4 pc export subsidy on bicycle, cement sheet, and MS steel The ministers virtually signed the agreed minutes of the meeting on behalf of their respective sides. Both sides agreed to hold the sixth meeting of the Joint Commission in Abu Dhabi. The date of the next meeting will be fixed later.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday invited British investors to visit Bangladesh and be part of its developmental journey making the best use of the opportunities it is offering for investment. “Many lucrative sectors are there like energy, renewable energy, shipbuilding, automobile, light engineering, agro-processing, blue economy, tourism, knowledge based hi-tech industries and ICT. These sectors look for foreign investment. British investors can choose any of these and beyond,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the ‘Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Sustainable Growth Partnerships’ and Roadshow at Churchill Hall, Queen Elizabeth Center here. Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in collaboration with Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh High Commission in London organised the Summit. BSEC chairman Professor Shibli Rubyat-Ul-Islam programme. Read:Hasina for changing traditional lens of Bangladesh-UK relations A video titled ‘The Rise of Bengal Tiger: Potentials of Trade and Investment in Bangladesh’ was screened at the programme. Recorded video speeches of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Charles were played at the summit. British Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt also spoke on the occasion. Sheikh Hasina, who joined the event virtually from her place of residence here, offered exclusive zones where companies from a specific country can invest. “UK investors can take one such zone for themselves.” She also urged the British Bangladeshi people to come to Bangladesh for investing there individually or in partnership. “People here are used to having rice and curry. You can invest in Bangladesh to build agro-based industries to bring fresh items here,” she said. Hasina assured them of extending her government’s all-out support for their safe investment. “If you face any problem, I’m there to support you,” she said. Hasina went on saying, “The demographic dividend, and our focus on developing skilled manpower ensures that investors here get skilled human resources at competitive wages. Let me assure you that our government agencies, including the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, all will do their best to ensure a congenial business environment for you.” She said they will provide British investors with ample opportunities for the best possible returns on their investments. Quite a few major business organizations are already operating successfully in Bangladesh, she added. “Thus I would like to welcome more companies to come forward and invest in the capital market of Bangladesh,” Hasina said.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has urged the US brands and retailers to be more rational in pricing in order to build a secured global market where workplace and jobs will be safer and more sustainable. He urged the US government to consider reducing duty on apparel products from Bangladesh. The BGMEA President called on US businessmen and non-resident Bangladeshis living in the US to explore investment opportunities in textile industries in Bangladesh, particularly in the non-cotton segment. He made the call while addressing a roundtable titled "Seven years after Rana Plaza: Who is doing what?" organised by the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC recently, said a BGMEA media release. Read:BGMEA urges AAFA to promote Bangladesh’s business interests in US market “Our factories are increasingly investing money for safety and sustainability. Besides, production cost has gone up by more than 30% in last five years. On the contrary, the price of our apparel is declining every year," said the BGMEA chief. While it is a fact that in a free market economy price cannot be dictated, but nobody can justify a lower price to produce socially fair goods, he said.  “It is the collaboration and partnership between brands and our suppliers that has helped us to achieve tremendous growth so far and future cooperation and partnership will help us to maintain this,” Faruque Hassan added. In his address at the roundtable Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M Shahidul Islam highlighted the measures and initiatives taken by the government of Bangladesh to support the RMG industry in ensuring workplace safety and the welfare of garment workers in Bangladesh. Senior US government officials including Christopher Wilson, Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia; William Jackson, Assistant USTR for Textiles, and Jennifer Larson, Director for South and Central Asia of the US Department of State; Maureen Haggard, Director for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the US Department of State; former Bangladeshi diplomat Farooq Sobhan, BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Ambassador Teresita Schaffer from the McLarty Associates, representatives of US-Bangladesh Business Council, American Apparel and Footwear Association, Walmart, Target, as well as senior officials of the Bangladesh Embassy participated in the roundtable. Read: BGMEA, USGBC keen to promote green growth in Bangladesh BGMEA President Faruque Hassan briefed the US Government and relevant stakeholders about how the readymade garment industry of Bangladesh has undergone massive transformation over the last few years to become one of the safest industries in the world and have the highest number of green garment factories across the globe. He apprised the participants of the steps and measures taken by the industry to ensure workers’ wellbeing. The BGMEA chief stressed the need for a unified code of conduct as multiple audits are not only waste of time and money, but also the audit fatigue makes compliance difficult for enterprises.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged Finland to explore investment opportunities in special economic zones and HI-Tech parks in Bangladesh.

Various Bangladeshi sectors like agro-processing, readymade garments, textile, health, ICT, construction and infrastructure offer great investment opportunities for Turkish businesses.

Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan has said Chittagong Port, historic gateway to Bangladesh, presents many opportunities for Turkish companies to invest.