PM invites Italian businesses to invest in economic zones

FE Team | Published: May 12, 2024 22:28:46

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged Italian businesses to make investment in Bangladesh's special economic zones for the mutual benefits of the two countries, reports UNB.
"Businesses and investors can invest in Bangladesh in the special economic zones," she said at a meeting with Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro at her official residence Ganabhaban.
PM's speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed the reporters after the meeting.
At the meeting, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has a huge domestic market apart from South Asian and South East Asian markets.
"Bangladesh can be the big central market encircling South Asian and South East Asian markets," she added.
The prime minister said that after 2026 Bangladesh will graduate to a developing country.
In this connection, she sought Italy's support for the continuation of the GSP plus facilities for Bangladeshi exports in the European countries.
She also emphasised the need for increasing trade between the two countries.
"There are ample scopes to increase trade and commerce between the two countries," she said.
Regarding illegal migrants staying in the European countries, including Italy, the prime minister said the government is taking necessary initiatives to check illegal migration.
"It is very much regretful that many people, including Bangladeshis, died in the Mediterranean sea while trying to go to the European countries," she observed.
"For that we are taking legal steps as well as creating awareness among the people," she said briefly elaborating various measurers of the government.
She requested Italy to take more Bangladeshi manpower through legal process.
The PM extended an invitation to the Italian prime minister to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.
The Italian ambassador said that his country wants to assist Bangladesh in technology transfer and defence purchase, and modernisation in various sectors. He also expressed his country's keen interest in providing a second satellite to Bangladesh.
He also put emphasis on trade diversification to tap the trade and commerce opportunities between the two countries.
About the Rohingya issue, both of them agreed on the dignified repatriation of the displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland.
Currently, more than one million Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh after being driven out by the Myanmar military junta.