Dhaka, 25 February 2020:

 German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dr. Gerd Muller met Foreign Minister Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, MP at his Parliament’s office this afternoon. During the meeting, Foreign Minister Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s tremendous socio-economic developments, particularly during the last one decade in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Vision 2021 and Vision 2041 that envisages the transformation of Bangladesh into Sonar Bangla or Golden Bengal as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Rohingya crisis was high on the agenda as Minister Momen requested the German Minister to consider meaningful measures compelling Myanmar to make conducive environment in Rakhine for safe, dignified and sustainable returns of the forcibly displaced Rohingys.  Minister Muller expressed his country’s firm commitment to a sustainable solution to the crisis and Myanmar’s full compliance with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s recent orders.  Minister Muller will be visiting Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar tomorrow.

Foreign Minister Momen informed the visiting German Minister about the year-long celebration of the 100^th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, commencing on 17^th March 2020, and reiterated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s invitation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to join the celebration.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister expressed his deep appreciation for German technology and asked German investors to invest more in Bangladesh particularly in the Special Economic Zones and Hi-tech Parks, taking advantage of attractive incentive packages, available skilled manpower and IT professionals and a growing middle-class consumers. He also suggested that giant German motor vehicle manufacturers like BMW can build assembling plants in Bangladesh, which was appreciated by the German Minister.  

The issue of climate change figured prominently in the meeting. While the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development highlighted German development cooperation’s particular focus on this area, Dr. Momen apprised the visiting Minister about Bangladesh government’s various adaptation and mitigation efforts, including construction of cyclone shelters and embankments and other disaster preparedness. Minister Momen also mentioned about Bangladesh government’s plan to plant 10 million new trees during Mujib Borsho.

Later in the evening, Minister Muller called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban.

The German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development is visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of Bangladesh Foreign Minister. Mentionable, Foreign Minister Dr. Momen visited Berlin in October last year when he met, among others, Minister Muller. The German Minister and his delegation came to Dhaka by a special flight of German Air Force yesterday evening. In the afternoon on 26 February 2020, they will fly to India.