Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for continued US investment in Bangladesh, particularly in warehousing, soybean, cotton, wheat and the information technology sector.
He made the call during a courtesy meeting with visiting US President’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon.
The two sides discussed bilateral relations, trade and investment, regional cooperation and other issues of mutual interest during the meeting, which was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, according to Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin.
The Prime Minister invited US investment in warehousing, soybean, cotton, wheat and other agricultural sectors, saying such investments would help build a strong and competitive supply chain. He also highlighted Bangladesh’s interest in attracting US investment in the information technology sector.
The two sides exchanged views on investment opportunities through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Tarique Rahman urged the United States to continue investing in Bangladesh, while Sergio Gor said Washington would work positively to expand DFC investment cooperation in the country.
Gor informed the Prime Minister that US investors in Dhaka were interested in organising a US Investor Summit in Bangladesh in the near future and that he was personally working to facilitate the initiative.
The proposed visit of a delegation from the US-Bangladesh Business Council to Bangladesh next month also came up for discussion.
The meeting also discussed expanding cooperation between Bangladesh and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Gor assured the Prime Minister that he would support the resumption of FDA inspection activities in Bangladesh.
During the meeting, the US Special Envoy praised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership, saying stability was returning to Bangladesh under his leadership.
As an indication of this, he said the United States had positively revised its travel advisory for Bangladesh, which would send an important message to US investors that the country was now ready for investment.
Gor also said Bangladesh has significant potential in the information technology sector and could become a partner in the PAX Silica initiative in the future. He assured the Prime Minister that he would take initiatives in this regard.
The Rohingya crisis also featured prominently in the discussions.
Sharing his experience from visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Gor praised the government and people of Bangladesh for providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
The Prime Minister noted that the United States provides more than half of the international assistance for the Rohingya population and expressed gratitude to the US government and people for their continued support.
The US Special Envoy stressed the need for a swift, sustainable and political solution to the Rohingya crisis and underscored the importance of coordinated efforts involving ASEAN, neighbouring countries and other relevant stakeholders.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Prime Minister’s Advisers Mahdi Amin and Rehan Asif Asad, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen and other senior officials attended the meeting.
