Rohingya ‘Repatriation is very important’: Japan ambassador

Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has highly appreciated Bangladesh’s achievement in Covid-19 management under prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership terming it a great achievement, reports UNB.

“This is really a wonderful achievement. This is a great achievement and great efforts by the government and its people,” he said.

The Japanese ambassador was addressing the “DCAB Talk” at the National Press Club on Thursday.

DCAB president Pantho Rahaman and its general secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event.

Expressing satisfaction over the supply of 3 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh, the ambassador said those doses were effectively utilised.

He assured of more support to Bangladesh in the coming days to address the Covid-related challenges.

On Japan’s contribution to Bangladesh’s large-scale infrastructure development, the envoy said the infrastructure situation will be very different with due transformation in five years’ time.

Ambassador Naoki hoped that the FDI flow from Japan would increase with increased trade volume and greater presence of Japanese cooperation. “We’ll step up our pragmatic cooperation,” said the Japanese ambassador.

Addressing the Rohingya issue, he said it is very difficult to predict in which direction the situation is going. “Repatriation is very important. Japan will continue to raise the issue of repatriation with Myanmar.”

The international community needs to put pressure on Myanmar, he added.