Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought Finland’s cooperation to continue the GSP Plus facility for a few more years from the European Union (EU) to smooth Bangladesh’s journey towards prosperity after its promotion from Least Developed Country (LDC) to developing country.

Finland’s non-resident ambassador to Bangladesh, Kimmo Lahdebirta, made this call during a meeting with the Prime Minister at Ganabhaban on Thursday (May 30).

At the press briefing after the meeting, the Prime Minister’s speech writer M. Nazrul Islam said this.

The Prime Minister said that his country is going to become a developing country from 2026. He also recalled his visits to Finland in 2008 and 2019 and meetings with the country’s president.

Sheikh Hasina praised the excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Finland.

On the Rohingya issue, Sheikh Hasina said that forcibly displaced Rohingyas have become a big burden for Bangladesh. But due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the massacre in Gaza and the Covid-19 pandemic, the financial support of the international community is decreasing day by day.

He said, on the other hand, with the birth of new children, the number of Rohingyas is increasing at a great rate.

The Ambassador of Finland expressed his country’s interest in investing in Bangladesh’s energy and information technology (IT) sectors, particularly cyber security, artificial intelligence and electric grid management.

The ambassador said his country is very good at managing the electrical grid and they want to invest in this sector. He also said that a business delegation from his country is coming to Dhaka soon to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh.

When the Ambassador of Finland asked about Bangladesh’s position on India’s election, the Prime Minister said, following the foreign policy adopted by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his government is maintaining “good-neighbourly” friendly relations.

Among others, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister M Tofazzel Hossain Mia were present.