Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said Bangladesh will work together with other nations of the Bay of Bengal region for its prosperity. She called poverty and terrorism as common enemy of the sub-region. She made the remarks during a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the third Bimstec Summit in Myanmar, PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil told reporters. The two leaders discussed bilateral issues focusing on boosting trade and investment and cooperation in the health and tourism sectors. Hasina suggested Dhaka and Colombo work together in pharmaceutical, jute, ceramics and agro-processing industries. She also requested the Sri Lankan President to make opportunities for Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to investment in the island nation. She sought Sri Lanka’s support for the development of the nursing education as she noted Sri Lanka is reputed for having an efficient nursing sector. The Sri Lankan President congratulated Sheikh Hasina on her victory in the January general elections and becoming prime minister for the third time. He hoped that trade and commerce between the two countries will boost further. He expressed his government’s interest to import world-class pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh. He also thanked the Prime Minister for giving the Sri Lankan students scope of medical education in Bangladesh. Rajapaksa praised the Prime Minister for distributing free textbooks among students and said that his government has taken such initiative also. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shariyar Alam, Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin, PMO Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, among others, were present. – UNB
