Prime Minister’s India and Japan visits not finalized: Shama Obaid

Foreign Affairs State Minister Shama Obaid Islam has said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit India and Japan at a convenient time. However, she confirmed that the dates for the visits have not yet been finalized.

The Foreign Affairs State Minister made the remarks at a press conference on Thursday.

Asked about the upcoming visits to India and Japan, she said the Bangladesh government has a positive attitude toward the visits. However, due to domestic political and constitutional engagements, including the presidential election and the upcoming parliamentary session, the final decision will depend on the prime minister’s schedule and the progress of discussions with the two countries.

Regarding the BRICS summit or a bilateral visit to India, she said high level meetings create opportunities to resolve many complex issues between the two countries. Bangladesh expects similar positive and sensitive behavior from India.

Referring to the memory of the July Mass Uprising, she said, “If any convicted person speaks while sitting on Indian soil, the people of Bangladesh will not take it well, and India should keep this sensitive issue in mind.”

Regarding the visit to Japan, Shama Obaid said Japan is one of Bangladesh’s major development partners. She said the Japanese prime minister had invited the prime minister of Bangladesh to visit Japan during the recently held Foreign Office Consultations, while Bangladesh had also extended an invitation. Besides the third terminal, the Matarbari project and sending skilled workers, the prime minister will certainly visit Japan when time and circumstances permit.

The state minister recently visited Singapore. Claiming that the visit was successful, she said discussions were held with the country’s labor and foreign ministers regarding employment opportunities for around 150,000 to 200,000 Bangladeshi expatriates and reducing the trade deficit. She also mentioned visiting the Bay Terminal project in Chattogram and a waste to energy plant.

At the same time, the state minister described Bangladesh’s achievement of the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly over the past six months as a major success for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.