PM's visit to India and Japan not finalised: Shama Obaid

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Foreign Affairs State Minister Shama Obaid Islam has said that 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.

She made the remarks at a press conference on Thursday (August 13).

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

Regarding the possibility of attending the BRICS summit or making a bilateral visit to India, she said high-level meetings create opportunities to resolve many complex issues between the two countries. Bangladesh also expects India to demonstrate a similarly positive and sensitive approach.

Referring to the memories of the July mass uprising, she said the people of Bangladesh would not respond positively if a convicted individual made statements while staying on Indian soil. She added that India should keep this sensitive issue in mind.

Regarding the proposed visit to Japan, Shama Obaid said Japan is one of Bangladesh’s major development partners. She said that during a recently held Foreign Office Consultation, the Japanese prime minister extended an invitation to Bangladesh’s prime minister, while Bangladesh also extended an invitation to the Japanese prime minister. She added that, besides issues such as the Third Terminal, the Matarbari project, and the deployment of skilled Bangladeshi workers, the prime minister would certainly visit Japan when time and circumstances permit.

The state minister recently visited Singapore. Describing the visit as successful, she said discussions were held with Singapore’s labour and foreign ministers regarding employment opportunities for approximately 150,000–200,000 Bangladeshi expatriates and ways to reduce the trade deficit between the two countries. She also mentioned plans to inspect the Bay Terminal project in Chattogram and a waste-to-energy plant.

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