Staff Reporter:
President Mohammed Shahabuddin yesterday urged South Korea to enhance bilateral trade and invest-ment with Bangladesh.
The President made the call when newly appointed South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh, Kim Ji-joon, presented his credentials to him at Bangabhaban.
President’s Press Secretary Sarwar Alam said newly appointed resident ambassadors of South Korea and Morocco presented their credentials to the President at Bangabhaban yesterday.
Upon their arrival, a smartly turned-out contingent of the President Guard Regiment accorded them a guard of honour.
Ambassador of Morocco, Lalla Bouthaina El Kerdoudi El Koulali, first presented her credentials, fol-lowed by South Korean Ambassador Kim Ji-joon.
The President welcomed both the envoys to Bangladesh.
During the meeting with the South Korean ambassador, President Shahabuddin said South Korea is one of the largest investors in Bangladesh.
More than a hundred Korean companies, including globally renowned technology firms Samsung and Hyundai, are operating and investing in the Korean EPZ of the Youngone Group in Chattogram as well as in other EPZs across the country, he noted.
The Head of State said Bangladesh currently enjoys an excellent business- and investment-friendly envi-ronment following the assumption of office by a democratically elected government through a free and fair election.
He urged the new envoy to take initiatives to further expand Korean investment in Bangladesh’s light engineering, electronics, shipbuilding, agro-processing, information technology, ready-made garments and infrastructure sectors.
Expressing satisfaction over the growing commercial ties between the two countries, the President re-quested South Korea to continue the existing duty-free and quota-free market access facility for 95 per-cent of Bangladeshi products for at least four more years after Bangladesh’s graduation from the LDC category.
He also expressed deep satisfaction over the overall progress towards signing the Comprehensive Eco-nomic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.
The President described South Korea as one of Bangladesh’s key development partners and appreciated the contributions of Korean development agencies, saying their loan assistance has significantly contrib-uted to the country’s socio-economic development.
Praising South Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS), he sought the ambassador’s cooperation in recruiting more Bangladeshi workers in the country’s shipbuilding, ICT and other industrial sectors.
The South Korean ambassador said his country is keen to enhance bilateral trade and investment with Bangladesh and expressed commitment to strengthening cooperation in trade, culture, education and oth-er areas.
Earlier, during a meeting with the Moroccan ambassador, President Shahabuddin said bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Morocco are excellent and steadily progressing.
He recalled the 1981 visit of late President Ziaur Rahman to Morocco and expressed gratitude to the Mo-roccan people for naming a road in Rabat after him.
Secretaries concerned to the Bangabhaban and foreign ministry and senior officials concerned were pre-sent there.
