UNB, Dhaka :After wrapping up his brief but ‘successful’ visit to Bangladesh, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left here for Colombo on Sunday morning to hold talks with the Sri Lankan leadership on bilateral issues.Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali saw Prime Minister Abe off at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka Shiro Sadoshima was also present.The special flight carrying the Japanese PM and his entourage took off from Dhaka airport at 10:40 am, said an official.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Japanesecounterpart, at a summit meeting on Saturday, iterated their resolve to widen bilateral relationship under the framework of ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ ensuring mutual benefit through active engagement on bilateral, regional, international and multilateral issues.The two Prime Ministers welcomed that the two countries shared a view on the direction of economic cooperation to be pursued under the initiative of the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) and the need for strengthening collaboration and cooperation in project formulation and implementation through policy dialogue.They shared their intention to carry out cooperation in the areas of transport network improvement, stable power supply, urban development such as economic zone development, and private sector development such as financial accessibility promotion.Abe along with his wife, Aki Abe, and 150-member delegation arrived here on Saturday afternoon on the brief but crucial official visit, aiming to expand and deepen ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ between the two friendly nations and with a special focus on investment issues.The less than 24-hour official visit took place after 14 years since the visit of then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to Bangladesh in 2000.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also met President M Abdul Hamid and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushon Ershad in addition to his other programmes. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also met Abe at Sonargaon Hotel.The Japanese Prime Minister addressed the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Board of Investment (BoI), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) at the Sonargaon Hotel.
