US company discovers huge energy reserve in Bay
FM says after meeting with US, EU envoys
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A US company has recently discovered huge energy reserve in the Bay of Bengal, Foreign Minister Dr Hassan Mahmud said on Wednesday.
The minister said this while talking to reporters after his separate meetings with US envoy Peter Haas and EU envoy Charles Whitley.
“If we can extract this energy from offsite, it will greatly benefit the economy of the country, the FM added.
The minister said that both the US and Bangladesh agreed to work closely to advance and strengthen bilateral ties.
“We have also discussed how we can expand bilateral trade and enhance US investment in Bangladesh.”
Dr Hassan Mahmud said the US has been a major development partner of Bangladesh since the independence of the country, and he conveyed his gratitude for this to the envoy.
He said that both the countries agreed to enhance cooperation in fighting militancy and fanaticism.
The minister said that he extensively discussed the Rohingya issues with both the envoys and sought their assistance in resolving the crisis.
Bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in the world, so the presence of 1.5 million Rohingyas, including 0.2 million newborns, is a serious burden for the country, he added.
“We agreed that granting full citizenship to the Rohingyas is a must for sustainable repatriation,” he said adding, “In the recent past, the Myanmar parliament and the Myanmar cabinet had members from the Rohingya community.”
“So, they are very much the citizens of Myanmar,” he pointed out.
Apart from the Rohingya crisis, partnership cooperation agreement, trade expansion, and investment were the key issues discussed in the meeting between the FM and the EU envoy.
“We have discussed how the EU companies can invest more in the special economic zones here and how the European investment companies can invest in the private sector in Bangladesh.”
Responding to a question, the minister said that during his discussion with the US envoy, he himself raised the issue of the general elections held on January 7 to inform him about the violence carried out by the BNP prior to elections.
Asked whether the possibility of US sanctions, apprehended by many, has already been withered, the minister skipped a direct answer saying that both the countries agreed to deepen bilateral ties in the coming days.
Earlier, after his meeting with the FM, US envoy Peter Haas said that expansion of trade and businesses and Rohingya crisis dominated their discussion.
“We have agreed to work together to advance our relationship,” he said.