Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral relations, including trade and climate change issues.
Kishida will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties, a foreign ministry official said yesterday.
“The foreign ministers of Bangladesh and Japan will have formal talks on Saturday to discuss bilateral economic and trade relations, and how to increase cooperation in the international arena,” Ashud Ahmed, a director general of the ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Climate change issues would also be discussed at the talks, Ashud said.
Another ministry official said in a broader context, the two ministers would discuss Bangladesh-Japan security cooperation, trade promotion and reforms in the UN Security Council.
Official development assistance would get prominence under economic and trade promotion, he said. In the security cooperation area, both sides were likely to discuss UN peacekeeping operations.
When contacted, Bangladesh envoy in Tokyo Masud bin Momen said: "Japan always provides unconditional loans and Dhaka expects to get more assistance from it."
Since 1971, Dhaka has received $11bn in assistance from Japan.
