A Correspondent:
Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin has said the Bangladesh govern-ment’s primary objective is to secure investment from Malaysia.
“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held meetings with the chief executives of five leading Malaysian companies to encourage them to invest in Bangladesh,” he told a press conference at the Shangri-La Ho-tel here yesterday.
He said, “We are moving toward economic liberalization through the signing of free trade agreements and pursuing deregulation policies. The main objective is to attract investment from different parts of the world. From our perspective, Malaysia is one of the key targets.”
Mahdi, also prime minister’s expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment adviser, said, senior execu-tives of five major Malaysian companies in the meeting with the Prime Minister and they discussed in-vestment opportunities in Bangladesh.”
He said, “Bangladesh has a large market base, and naturally there is significant consumer demand that the companies can help to meet.”
Mahdi further stated that there are tremendous opportunities for employment generation in Bangladesh.
“On the one hand, our market demand is very high, and on the other, we have the capacity to provide a strong workforce. By combining the two strengths, we have assured potential investors that if they invest in Bangladesh, our government will provide policy support as much as possible and create a pro-business, pro-investment framework through deregulation.”
Before departing Malaysia for China, the Prime Minister met with top executives of the Malaysian busi-ness groups- Petronas Group, Axiata, AirAsia, Perodua, and MMC Group.
Mahadi Amin highlighted the significance of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s visit to Malaysia. He said this visit has opened a new chapter in bilateral friendship.
In the meeting the Malaysian prime minister highlighted the unique historical, fraternal, and friendly relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia.
The leaders of the two countries held extensive discussions on how to further strengthen and deepen eco-nomic cooperation by expanding trade and investment based on mutual interests.
Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir, Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman, Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony and Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Ma-laysia Mosammat Shahanara Monica were present during the press conference.
