PM invites US investment, seeks expanded FDA cooperation

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on the United States to invest in various sectors in Bangladesh, including agriculture and warehousing.

He made the call during a courtesy meeting with visiting US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon on Saturday morning .

During the meeting, the Prime Minister specifically highlighted opportunities in warehousing, soybean, cotton, and wheat, stating that investment in these areas could help build a strong and competitive supply chain .

The two sides discussed expanding trade and investment, regional cooperation, and various issues of mutual interest .

Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Hossain Swadhin briefed reporters after the meeting.

According to Swadhin, the US special envoy praised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's leadership and noted that Bangladesh is seeing a return to stability under his leadership. As an indication, the US has positively revised its travel advisory for Bangladesh .

Gor said this sends an important signal to US investors that Bangladesh is now ready for investment. The meeting also discussed a visit to Bangladesh by a delegation from the US-Bangladesh Business Council next month.

Discussions were also held on expanding cooperation between Bangladesh and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sergio Gor assured that he would assist in resuming FDA inspection activities in Bangladesh.

The meeting also discussed the investment potential through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The Prime Minister called for continued US investment in Bangladesh.

Regarding this, the special envoy said the US would work positively to expand DFC investment cooperation in Bangladesh. US investors in Dhaka are interested in organising a US Investor Summit soon, and he is personally working to implement the initiative.

The Prime Minister also expressed Bangladesh's particular interest in investment in the IT sector. Gor acknowledged Bangladesh's significant potential in this sector and mentioned that Bangladesh could become a partner in the Pax Silica initiative in the future, pledging to take steps in this regard.

The Rohingya crisis was also discussed during the meeting. The US special envoy shared his experiences from his visit to the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar the previous day and praised the Bangladesh government and people for sheltering and providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees .

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the US government and people, noting that more than half of the international assistance for the Rohingya comes from the US.

Sergio Gor emphasised the need for a swift, sustainable, and political solution to the Rohingya crisis and stressed the importance of integrated initiatives involving all parties, including ASEAN neighbours.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Prime Minister's Advisers on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, Mahdi Amin and Rehan Asif Asad, Bangladesh Ambassador to Washington Tarek Md Ariful Islam, and US Ambassador to Dhaka Brent Christensen were present .

Source: BSS