Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has sought Japan's support for Bangladesh's candidacy for the post of Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the term 2024-27.
He made the appeal while holding a bilateral meeting with Japanese foreign minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 14, on the sidelines of the 30th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a foreign ministry press release said on Tuesday.
During the meeting, both the ministers expressed happiness about the official visit and the outcome of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Japan on 25-28 April last.
They discussed the issues of mutual interests, including "the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt" or BIG-B initiative, the Indo-Pacific Outlook, climate change, energy, agriculture, blue economy, pharmaceuticals, connectivity and contemporary regional and global issues.
Momen urged more coordinated and proactive support of Japan to create a congenial atmosphere for an early, safe and dignified repatriation of more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister also requested Japan to extend preferential treatment and concessions to Bangladesh beyond LDC graduation bilaterally as well as through actively supporting Bangladesh at the multilateral level in the ongoing discussions especially under the WTO to grant concessions to the LDCs.
He also informed his Japanese counterpart that Bangladesh has ratified the Hong Kong International Convention on Ship Recycling, which came into effect on 26 June 2023, as part of the commitment towards advancing a safe and sustainable ship recycling industry through better management practices.
This is a direct outcome of the MoU signed between Bangladesh and Japan during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit in April 2023.
The foreign Minister urged Japan to develop such a facility under JICA funding or by private Japanese companies who have expertise in the Ship Building and Recycling sector, which would be critical to abiding by the HKC-2009, taking into account Bangladesh's need for the development of a Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF).
Both the foreign ministers reasserted their commitment to further strengthening the excellent bilateral relations between the two friendly countries as well as exploring avenues of further engagement and cooperation in the coming days.