Japan eyes broader ties with Bangladesh under strategic partnership: envoy

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori today expressed his country's willingness to enhance the bilateral relationship with Dhaka over the next 50 years in line with their "strategic partnership" focusing on trade, investment, people to people exchanges and security cooperation.

He laid emphasis on implementing a variety of practical cooperation in promising sectors and explored the possibility of a trilateral platform among Japan, Bangladesh and India.

Ambassador Kiminori identified three major areas of cooperation as part of strategic partnership between Bangladesh and Japan.

These are cooperation for peace and stability in the region and beyond, deepening economic cooperation for mutual benefit and regional prosperity and expansion of cultural cooperation and people to people exchange.

"Trilateral cooperation - it is a new issue. There might be some reservations; there might be some opinions on India-Bangladesh-Japan cooperation. We are ready to discuss. We are ready to see many ideas and many comments. What I can say is that discussion has just begun," he said while speaking at Cosmos Dialogue.

Kiminori delivered the keynote speech at the symposium titled "Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Prognosis for the Future" organized by the Cosmos Foundation as part of the Ambassadors' Lecture Series.

The discussion was chaired and conducted by President of Cosmos Foundation and renowned scholar-diplomat and former Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

While delivering the welcome remarks, Chairman of Cosmos Foundation Enayetullah Khan said during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to Tokyo, the bilateral relationship was raised from 'comprehensive' to a 'strategic' level.

Just prior to the visit, he said, the Bangladesh foreign ministry published an Indo-Pacific Outlook Document which envisioned a "free, open, secure and inclusive Indo-Pacific for the shared prosperity of all".

"It found resonance in Japan, which had been hoping to add defense and security elements to the relationship as well," Khan said, adding that implementation of Japanese support of mega projects within its idea of 'BIG-B' or Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt is already under way.

He said these would facilitate regional connectivity and give impetus to the development of Bangladesh as a regional hub.

Former Principal Coordinator (SDGs) Md Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Bangladesh Ichiguchi Tomohide, columnist and former President of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) Monzurul Huq and former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India and the Ambassador to the United States, Honorary Emeritus Advisor, Cosmos Foundation Ambassador (retd) Tariq A Karim joined as discussants.