Hasina for jt venture with Turkey in shipbuilding, power generation

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Turkish President Abdullah Gul assured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of giving necessary support and assistance for implementation of development programmes of her government, as the two leaders talked a wide range of issues of greater bilateral cooperation, reports UNB.
Gul especially expressed his desire to give development support for sectors like electricity generation, transport, information communication technology (ICT), roads and other infrastructural development of Bangladesh.
The Turkish President, the first head of state to visit Bangladesh since the present Awami League-led government assumed office following their landslide victory in the December 29, 2008 polls, gave the assurances when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met him at his Sonargaon Hotel suite Saturday afternoon.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister MA Karim, Prime Minister's Office Secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad were present.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, which lasted 40 minutes from 12:50pm, Abul Kalam Azad said Prime Minister Hasina sought Turkish cooperation in setting up more power plants in the country to remove the longstanding electricity crisis.
She also called for joint venture between Bangladesh and Turkey both in public and private arenas in the sectors of shipbuilding, agriculture and electricity generation.
As the visiting Turkish President offered more investment from his country in these sectors, Hasina called for investment from Turkey in developing railways and waterways in Bangladesh.
She also said Turkey could import pharmaceuticals, leather and RMG products in larger volumes from Bangladesh.
When the Prime Minister informed the Turkish President about the prevailing investment-friendly environment in Bangladesh, Gul expressed his readiness to channel investment into various private sectors from his country.
The Turkish President and the Bangladesh Prime Minister also discussed the much-expected Padma Bridge and modernisation of Chittagong and Mongla seaports.
Saying that her government had a plan to build up a deep-sea port in Chittagong, the Prime Minister observed that by using the seaport, neighbouring countries, India, Nepal and Bhutan in particular, would be highly benefited.
During talks about the government's massive project for capital and maintenance dredging in the major rivers of the country, the Prime Minister sought help from the Turkish government in expediting the dredging project to save the country's rivers, choked with siltation and also experiencing salinity.
Hasina also said Turkish aircraft could make stopovers at the international airports of Bangladesh which would benefit both the countries.
Abdullah Gul also said Turkey could help Bangladesh effectively for development of ICT sector.
The Turkish President and the Bangladesh Prime Minister both stressed the need for expediting activities and inter-country relationship in the United Nations, NAM, OIC and other international and regional forums for benefit of the world people.
President Gul highly praised the strong role and visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina in the international forums, especially in the climate-change conferences, in establishing a safe globe for the civilisation. He specially termed Sheikh Hasina's role "excellent" in the last Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.
In reply, the Bangladesh Prime Minister thanked the Turkish President for his appreciation and renewed her call for combined international efforts to protect people of the Most Vulnerable Countries (MVCs) from the disastrous impacts of global warming and climate change.
Hasina termed poverty and illiteracy two of the biggest enemies of Bangladesh and South Asian countries and said her government was working relentlessly to improve the fate of the people through poverty eradication and ensuring cent-per cent literacy.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister further said her government was giving priority to agriculture, education and health sectors to build up an educated, prosperous and healthy nation.
She said Bangladesh and Turkey enjoyed historic bilateral ties. They recalled contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in attaining independence of Bangladesh and of Kemal Atatürk in building up today's modern Turkey.
The Alliance of Civilisation Meets held in April 2009 in Turkey and Bangladesh-Turkey Military Grant Agreement and the bilateral trade and commerce between the two countries during the world economic recession were among the topics discussed in the meeting.
The two sides expressed satisfaction over the volume of bilateral trade that took place between the two countries during the global economic meltdown.