FM seeks Thai investment in Special Economic Zones

Foreign Minister, Dr AK Abdul Momen, has sought investment from Thailand in the Special Economic Zones of Bangladesh.

"Thailand should consider investing in the Special Economic Zones in Bangladesh where state-of- the-art facilities and One Stop Services (OSS) are provided," he told outgoing Ambassador of Thailand to Bangladesh, Arunrung Phothong Humphreys.

The Thai ambassador was paying a farewell call on the Foreign Minister at the latter's office on Thursday.

Dr Momen also drew attention of the Thai authorities to the potential establishment of a hospital in Bangladesh, given's Thailand popularity as a destination for medical tourism.

"It would be a win-win proposition if Thai entrepreneurs set up joint venture hospitals in Bangladesh," he told Ambassador Humphreys.

The Bangladesh FM thanked the ambassador for arranging special flights between Dhaka and Bangkok and for the support and cooperation provided in facilitating medical evacuations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Describing Thailand as a 'trusted friend' of Bangladesh, Dr Momen said building physical connectivity and people-to-people contacts with the country is Bangladesh's foreign policy priority.

He also noted that both countries are fellow members of different international organizations including BIMSTEC, and that there are common strategic interests on a wide range of issues, such as sustainable development, poverty alleviation, climate change adaptation and disaster management.  

In response, Ambassador Humphreys said trade, connectivity, energy and development cooperation were key priorities of her mission in Dhaka.

She told the Minister that a three-year development programme is in the process of implementation with funding from Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA). Agro-processing, rural development, environmental protection, women's empowerment and human resource development are core focus areas of the proposed TICA project.

The outgoing ambassador also hoped that the negotiators of both countries would finalize the draft of the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), so that the two countries would be able to sign it soon.  

Dr. Momen thanked Thailand for the humanitarian support extended to the Rohingyas and sought a pro-active role from both ASEAN and Thailand on the repatriation issue.

He suggested that the ASEAN countries should collectively put pressure on Myanmar so that a conducive environment is created in the Rakhine State for the immediate return home of the Rohingyas.  

The Ambassador provided assurances that Dhaka's concerns on the Rohingya issues would be flagged to the Thai government, as well as to the ASEAN leadership, and she expressed her hope in a speedy resolution to the issue. She thanked the Foreign Minister for the support extended to her mission during her assignment in Dhaka.

The Foreign Minister also sought Thailand's support on Bangladesh's candidacy for status as ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner.   

The envoy also separately called on the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, and the Foreign Secretary, Masud Bin Momen.