Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen. COURTESY
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged Finland to explore investment opportunities in Special Economic Zones and HI-TECH Parks in Bangladesh. He made the call at a virtual meeting with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto on Tuesday, a foreign ministry’s press release said here today.
The two foreign ministers discussed the possibility of initiating work on a bilateral Agreement on Double Taxation. “Bangladesh and Finland should observe the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022 in a befitting manner through high-level political visits, investment dialogues and cultural exchanges”, Momen said.
The Finnish minister appreciated Bangladesh’s humanitarian gesture to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar. He assured of remaining engagement with the situation leveraging Finland’s participation in certain mediation efforts in Myanmar. Momen urged Finland and other EU Member States to work towards early voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya in safety and dignity.
During their hour-long conversation, the two ministers recalled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s meeting with the President Sauli Niniistö of Finland in Helsinki in June 2019. They stressed the importance of regular exchange of high-level visits and diplomatic consultations.
The Finnish minister congratulated Bangladesh for the projected graduation from the LDC status in 2026. Both the ministers expressed satisfaction over the business dialogue held between the two sides in December 2020. They also agreed to enhance cooperation on climate change issues through the Coalition of Finance Ministers on Climate Change that Finland co-Chairs.
Momen flagged Bangladesh’s work on the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), and hosting of a regional office of the Global Centre on Adaptation. Foreign Minister Haavisto recognized the contribution of Bangladesh diaspora to the Finnish society.
The two ministers agreed to work on cultural exchange and knowledge partnership for fostering human connectivity. Bangladesh’s non-resident Ambassador to Finland Md. Nazmul Islam also joined the meeting.
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