http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=126185
Dhaka seeks help for rail, river projects
PM meets Turkish president
Turkey will provide support for power generation, transport, information and communication technology, road infrastructure and other development sectors of Bangladesh.
The assurance came when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul at his hotel suite here yesterday.
During the meeting, they discussed different bilateral issues, including expansion of trade and business between the two countries and increasing Turkish investment in Bangladesh.
Terming Turkey as a development partner of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina called for Turkish investment, especially in railway and waterway sectors of Bangladesh in a large scale, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told journalists.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul who left here for home yesterday evening after a two-day state visit to Bangladesh was conferred Doctor of Laws degree by the Dhaka University.
Sheikh Hasina also hosted a luncheon at Sonargaon Hotel in honour of the Turkish President.
Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia also called on Abdullah Gul. He joined a breakfast meeting hosted by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the hotel.
During talks over the government-sponsored massive project for capital and maintenance dredging in the major rivers of the country, Sheikh Hasina sought help from the Turkish government to expedite the dredging project to save the rivers.
When she informed the Turkish president of the prevailing investment-friendly environment in the country, Gul expressed the desire to invest in various sectors in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina also sought Turkish cooperation to set up more power plants in the country to address power crisis in Bangladesh and in the country's shipbuilding, agriculture and electricity sectors.
The prime minister called upon the Turkish authorities to import the international standard pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods and apparels from Bangladesh.
Emphasising the need for increasing people-to-people contact and business cooperation between the two brotherly Muslim countries, Sheikh Hasina said Turkish aircraft could make stopovers in the international airports of Bangladesh for the benefit of the two countries.
Both the Turkish president and the Bangladesh premier underscored the need for expediting activities and inter-country relationship in the United Nations, NAM, OIC and other international and regional forums to this end.
About the existing bilateral relations between the two countries, Sheikh Hasina said both the countries are enjoying excellent relations based on historic and cultural ties.
The two leaders recalled the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to achieving independence of Bangladesh and of Kemal Ataturk to building today's modern Turkey.
The prime minister greeted the Turkish president for his visit to Bangladesh, the first by a head of state since her government assumed office following her party's landslide victory in the December 29 election of 2008.
During the 40-minute meeting followed by lunch, the Turkish president highly praised the strong role and visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina in different international forums, especially in the climate change conferences in establishing a safe globe for the civilisation.
Abdullah Gul termed Sheikh Hasina's role in the last Copenhagen Climate Change Summit as "excellent" and said that her (Sheikh Hasina) prudent leadership in the conference would immensely benefit the most vulnerable countries (MVCs) of the global warming.
In reply, Sheikh Hasina thanked the Turkish president for his appreciation and renewed her call for combined international efforts to protect people of the MVCs to face grim challenges of climate change caused by global warming.
Abdullah Gul congratulated Hasina as people of Bangladesh have got their democracy back under her able and prudent leadership. She thanked the Turkish government and other European countries for their supports and cooperation in holding the December 29 general election in a free, fair, neutral and acceptable manner.
In this context, she said her government is now giving maximum efforts to expedite socio-economic development of the country's people.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the Turkish president for his stand saying that Turkey is a development partner of Bangladesh since its independence in 1971 under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Terming poverty and illiteracy as two of the biggest enemies of Bangladesh and South Asian countries to achieve development, she said her government is working relentlessly to improve fate of the people through poverty eradication and ensuring cent percent literacy.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister further said her government is giving priority to agriculture, education and health sectors to build up an educated, prosperous and healthy nation.
The Turkish president and the Bangladesh Premier also discussed the much-expected Padma Bridge and modernisation of Chittagong and Mongla sea ports.
Saying that her government has a plan to build a deep sea port in Chittagong, the prime minister observed that by using the sea port, neighbouring countries including India, Nepal and Bhutan will be highly benefited.
The Alliance of Civilization Meets held in April, 2009 in Turkey and Bangladesh-Turkey Military Grant, agreement and the bilateral trade and commerce between the two countries during the world economic recession also came up for discussion.
Both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries during the global economic meltdown.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister MA Karim, Prime Minister's Office Secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad were present on the occasion.
Dhaka seeks help for rail, river projects
PM meets Turkish president
Turkey will provide support for power generation, transport, information and communication technology, road infrastructure and other development sectors of Bangladesh.
The assurance came when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul at his hotel suite here yesterday.
During the meeting, they discussed different bilateral issues, including expansion of trade and business between the two countries and increasing Turkish investment in Bangladesh.
Terming Turkey as a development partner of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina called for Turkish investment, especially in railway and waterway sectors of Bangladesh in a large scale, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told journalists.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul who left here for home yesterday evening after a two-day state visit to Bangladesh was conferred Doctor of Laws degree by the Dhaka University.
Sheikh Hasina also hosted a luncheon at Sonargaon Hotel in honour of the Turkish President.
Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia also called on Abdullah Gul. He joined a breakfast meeting hosted by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the hotel.
During talks over the government-sponsored massive project for capital and maintenance dredging in the major rivers of the country, Sheikh Hasina sought help from the Turkish government to expedite the dredging project to save the rivers.
When she informed the Turkish president of the prevailing investment-friendly environment in the country, Gul expressed the desire to invest in various sectors in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina also sought Turkish cooperation to set up more power plants in the country to address power crisis in Bangladesh and in the country's shipbuilding, agriculture and electricity sectors.
The prime minister called upon the Turkish authorities to import the international standard pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods and apparels from Bangladesh.
Emphasising the need for increasing people-to-people contact and business cooperation between the two brotherly Muslim countries, Sheikh Hasina said Turkish aircraft could make stopovers in the international airports of Bangladesh for the benefit of the two countries.
Both the Turkish president and the Bangladesh premier underscored the need for expediting activities and inter-country relationship in the United Nations, NAM, OIC and other international and regional forums to this end.
About the existing bilateral relations between the two countries, Sheikh Hasina said both the countries are enjoying excellent relations based on historic and cultural ties.
The two leaders recalled the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to achieving independence of Bangladesh and of Kemal Ataturk to building today's modern Turkey.
The prime minister greeted the Turkish president for his visit to Bangladesh, the first by a head of state since her government assumed office following her party's landslide victory in the December 29 election of 2008.
During the 40-minute meeting followed by lunch, the Turkish president highly praised the strong role and visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina in different international forums, especially in the climate change conferences in establishing a safe globe for the civilisation.
Abdullah Gul termed Sheikh Hasina's role in the last Copenhagen Climate Change Summit as "excellent" and said that her (Sheikh Hasina) prudent leadership in the conference would immensely benefit the most vulnerable countries (MVCs) of the global warming.
In reply, Sheikh Hasina thanked the Turkish president for his appreciation and renewed her call for combined international efforts to protect people of the MVCs to face grim challenges of climate change caused by global warming.
Abdullah Gul congratulated Hasina as people of Bangladesh have got their democracy back under her able and prudent leadership. She thanked the Turkish government and other European countries for their supports and cooperation in holding the December 29 general election in a free, fair, neutral and acceptable manner.
In this context, she said her government is now giving maximum efforts to expedite socio-economic development of the country's people.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the Turkish president for his stand saying that Turkey is a development partner of Bangladesh since its independence in 1971 under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Terming poverty and illiteracy as two of the biggest enemies of Bangladesh and South Asian countries to achieve development, she said her government is working relentlessly to improve fate of the people through poverty eradication and ensuring cent percent literacy.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister further said her government is giving priority to agriculture, education and health sectors to build up an educated, prosperous and healthy nation.
The Turkish president and the Bangladesh Premier also discussed the much-expected Padma Bridge and modernisation of Chittagong and Mongla sea ports.
Saying that her government has a plan to build a deep sea port in Chittagong, the prime minister observed that by using the sea port, neighbouring countries including India, Nepal and Bhutan will be highly benefited.
The Alliance of Civilization Meets held in April, 2009 in Turkey and Bangladesh-Turkey Military Grant, agreement and the bilateral trade and commerce between the two countries during the world economic recession also came up for discussion.
Both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries during the global economic meltdown.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister MA Karim, Prime Minister's Office Secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad were present on the occasion.
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