Shawdesh Desk:

Japan has said it will continue to make concrete efforts, like Terminal 3 of Dhaka airport, that contribute to strengthening connectivity for the sake of ‘peace, stability and prosperity’ of the region and the international community.

‘Located at the nexus of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh is an important partner in realising the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,’ parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs of Japan, Komura Masahiro, said on Saturday.

He was speaking at a soft opening ceremony of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s  Terminal 3 with prime minister Sheikh Hasina as the chief guest.

State minister for civil aviation and tourism, Md Mahbub Ali, and other ministers and officials were present at the ceremony.

Japan’s vice-minister for international affairs of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, Uehara Atsushi, and Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, Iwama Kiminori, also attended the ceremony.

In April this year, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina launched a strategic partnership when she visited Japan.

‘The new bilateral relations are progressing in a variety of areas, including defense equipment cooperation and joint research toward a possible EPA,’ he said.

In recent years, under the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt Initiative, Japan has been actively engaged in the development of major infrastructure to enhance regional connectivity, including Dhaka Metro Rail, Matarbari Deep Sea Port, and Dhaka Airport’s Terminal 3.

In September this year, a direct flight connecting Dhaka and Tokyo, which both countries had been longing for, was also launched. ‘It is expected to further invigorate human traffic and contribute to further expansion of investment by Japanese companies,’ he said.