Bangladesh has sought more Swiss investments in the country's hi-tech parks, taking advantage of various incentive packages that the country offers, a large, trained youth population, and a growing middle class.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen made the request as new Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard paid a courtesy call at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday.
The minister briefed her about Bangladesh's socio-economic developments, particularly during the last decade.
Referring to the Prime Minister's vision of a 'Digital Bangladesh' Momen informed the Swiss diplomat of Bangladesh's growing capabilities in the ICT sector and that the government is developing 28 Hi-tech parks and currently has a huge pool of IT professionals.
The minister praised precision and high-quality of the Swiss products and said that Swiss investors can set up manufacturing factories in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) of Bangladesh. Swiss investments would also enable Bangladeshis to learn from Swiss expertise.
He pointed out that alongside the ready-made garments sector, Bangladesh's other emerging export-oriented sectors are pharmaceutical and leather.
Momen lauded Switzerland's continued support in resolving the Rohingya crisis, but regretted that not a single Rohingya could be repatriated in the last three years due to a lack of political will and decisive action on the part of Myanmar.
The foreign minister sought stronger support of the international community, including Switzerland's, in ensuring sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas at the earliest. The Swiss Ambassador assured of her country's strong commitment in this regard.
Noting that Bangladesh is currently the president of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), Momen said despite international commitment for mobilising USD 100 billion per year by 2020 for adaptation and mitigation of the negative impacts of climate change, the present situation of climate finance remains in a bad shape.
He urged Switzerland and other developed countries and international partners to mobilize more financial resources to address this global challenge collectively.
Nathalie Chuard also called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen yesterday at the foreign ministry. The Swiss diplomat was assured of the best of cooperation during her tenure in Bangladesh.
Source-The Daily Star
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