Speech by the Hon'ble Foreign Minister at the luncheon hosted in honour of the Japanese Foreign Minister, His Excellency Mr. Taro Aso at Hotel Sonargaon on 25th July 2006 at 1200 hrs

Excellencies
Distinguished Guests

Good afternoon!

Let me begin by saying that this lunch is a very special occasion. Indeed in some ways, it is a rare occasion too.

It is not unusual for me to welcome Foreign Ministers to lunch. But it is unusual when my guest today happens to be not only the Foreign Minister of Japan but also my very dear and close friend who I have known since my days as a student in Japan.

Foreign Minister Aso comes from a lineage of distinguished political leaders of Japan. From the early days when we studied together, I could see that Taro Aso was a mover and shaker.

He is today the Foreign Minister of Japan and among the most revered leaders of that country. I have no doubt that Taro Aso is destined to go higher in life.

Distinguished Guests,

We have just come back from a very intensive session of constructive and fruitful bilateral discussions. I feel happy that we could cover almost the entire gamut of our bilateral relations. During our talks, we were most impressed by the constructive and forward-looking attitude of the Japanese side led by Foreign Minister Aso.

To ensure that this lunch is not entirely free, I presented my friend to the press corps at the Ministry's briefing room. But true to Taro Aso's political acumen and dexterity, I was most impressed to see that he could send home a happy group of reporters.

Mr. Foreign Minister,

It is difficult, at least for me, to give a full account of the depth and substance of the friendly bilateral relations and cooperation that exist between Bangladesh and Japan in this short lunch speech.

Suffice it to say, that ours is a relationship that has grown out of the bonds of shared culture and heritage; nurtured by our commitment to democracy and respect for human rights, advanced by partnership in peace, security and development and strengthened by mutual trust and confidence.

We take pride that Japan is Asia's symbol of prosperity. We admire Japan's rise from the ashes of a nuclear holocaust into a global economic super power.

We feel gratified that for us, Japan has been a partner in development with a human face, providing loans on easy terms and then, even if not too often, turning these into grants. The very premises of this hotel vindicates my statement.

It is almost to the year when the Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia visited Japan at the invitation of her counterpart Prime Minister Koizumi. The warmth and cordiality extended to her and her entourage was heart rendering.

During that visit we experienced a delightful departure in the usually formal Japanese officialdom when they received our Prime Minister in an informal, friendly and relaxed manner as if they were welcoming one of their very own.

And in the midst of that informality, the two leaders discussed serious issues both bilateral matters and issues of international concern and took decisions that would go a long way in further strengthening our existing relations.

Today Japan is our largest bilateral development partner. Japanese investment and joint ventures are at the top among foreign investors.

With Japanese assistance we have been able to transform our communication infrastructure to supplement our development efforts.

The Jamuna multipurpose bridge that has made a dream come true by interconnecting the capital with the northern region of the country is largely built with Japanese assistance. We hope that it will not be too long before we see the materialization of the Padma Bridge, again with Japanese assistance.

I could go on but I would not want the soup to grow cold.

In conclusion, let me say that our two countries will remain united. Our friendship will grow. Our cooperation will be diversified and strengthened not only on the bilateral plane but regionally too. Japan's observer status in SAARC and our joining the ARF are modest beginnings.

Our discussions today reaffirmed these commitments and we can look ahead to brighter and more prosperous days.

My dear friend and colleague, your visit is the first by that of a Japanese Foreign Minister in 18 years. Please do not make us wait another 18 years before we can again welcome the Foreign Minister of one of our closest friends.

Your stay is short but I sincerely hope that you were impressed with what you have seen and with what we have achieved within our many constraints. We can assure you that we will impress you more in the days ahead.

I wish you and Madam Aso a very enjoyable stay and hope to see you again in Dhaka very soon.