President seeks enhanced German investment at SEZs

President M Abdul Hamid has sought enhanced German investment at the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and High-Tech Parks in Bangladesh as he held a courtesy meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin afternoon (Berlin time).

President Hamid also urged all international partners including Germany to effectively engage with the Myanmar authorities to find a durable solution of the Rohingya repatriation issue.

The Bangladesh President, who is now in Berlin as part of his 12-day medical checkup in Germany and the UK, called upon the German government to facilitate visas for Bangladeshi students, willing to pursue their higher studies in Germany, a Bangabhaban spokesman quoted President’s press secretary Md Joynal Abedin as saying the BSS over phone.

The President thanked Germany for its support to the ongoing Rohingya crisis and acknowledging its (Germany) decision to suspend the development cooperation for Myanmar and raising the issue in the United Nations.

“We thank Germany for support in principle on the partial and temporary relocation of the Rohingyas to Bhashan Char, for which our government has now concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNHCR for the latter to commence operations there,” Abdul Hamid mentioned.

Referring to existing bilateral ties with Germany, the President said Germany and Bangladesh has excellent trade and business relations which is growing day by day.

Seeking enhanced investment to Dhaka, he said, “I believe that the experience of leading German companies, like Siemens (power, telecommunications) and VERIDOS (e-passports) would be good examples for other German enterprises.”

The President also thanked the Germany as it set up the Bangabandhu Professorial Fellowship in Heidelberg University, Germany in recent time.

Terming Germany as a long trusted development partner of Bangladesh, he said the government acknowledges the development cooperation and assistance provided to Bangladesh every year since country’s independence.

“We appreciate Germany’s recent donation of nearly 800,000 dozes of AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh and other medical equipment worth about 30 million Euros,” Bangladesh President told his German counterpart during the meeting.

Bangladesh and Germany share excellent bilateral relations and we look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of a diplomatic relations in a befitting manner next year, President Hamid said.

He recalled gratefully that the erstwhile East Germany was the first European country to have recognized an independent Bangladesh in early January 1972 and West Germany recognized Bangladesh in February 1972.