Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said Bangladesh and Indonesia are “natural partners” as they work together in a spirit of mutual cooperation. The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a celebration programme marking the 74th Independence Day of Indonesia at a city hotel in the capital on Thursday.
The Indonesian embassy in Dhaka organised the programme while the Indonesian ambassador in Dhaka Rina Prihtyasmiarsi Soemarno was present on the occasion. Representatives of the government, opposition leaders, and members of civil society, businessmen, academia, and journalists attended the reception.
The minister recalled the personal relations between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the leader of Indonesia’s struggle for independence Dr Sukarno. He also said the excellent relationship between current Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and described the Indonesian President’s visit to Bangladesh last year as a milestone.
It is noted that Indonesia is one of the first countries in South East Asia which recognized Bangladesh immediately after its victory in the historic liberation war in 1971. After the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in early 1972, two country’s bilateral relations have advanced to a remarkable extent in the last four decades. The land minister called upon Indonesian entrepreneur and business communities to invest more in Bangladesh.
“I will urge upon the business community of Indonesia, through the H.E the Ambassador of Indonesia in Dhaka, to take the opportunity to invest in Bangladesh and to import more quality products from Bangladesh,” Saifuzzaman said.