Canadian high commissioner says at briefing on Showcase Canada 2015
Canadian high commissioner Benoit Pierre Laramee on Sunday expressed his concern over the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh and said the situation would put a terrible impact on the country’s economy and business activities. The envoy was speaking at a press conference on the Showcase Canada 2015 jointly organised by the Canada-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with the high commission of Canada in Bangladesh at the Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.
CanCham and the high commission organised the two-day trade and education fair in February 14-15 in the capital.
Replying to a question, Laramee said peace, human rights and good governance are the foundation of economic development.
‘The ongoing political violence is truly unacceptable……I am distressed with the situation… There should be an effort to end the political violence,’ he said.
He said that a space was needed for democracy, good governance and peace, otherwise political violence would impact the image of Bangladesh.
Laramee said Canada was working in partnership with the people and the government of Bangladesh to secure prosperity for both countries as Bangladesh moved towards the middle-income status.
He said that there was investment potential in information and communication, readymade garments and blue economy sectors.
If Bangladesh wants, we can provide the country with expertise on the blue economy as Canada has vast knowledge on the sector, he said.
The envoy said that the trade relationship between Bangladesh and Canada was growing rapidly and the value of two-way merchandise trade had more than tripled since 2006.
He said the trade balance remained in favour of Bangladesh and the country exported to Canada products worth over 1.2 billion Canadian dollars.
CanCham Bangladesh president Masud Rahman also spoke at the programme.
Masud emphasised on the importance of collaboration between the Canadian and Bangladeshi private sectors to attract new investment.
Thirty companies from Bangladesh and Canada participated and displayed their products and services in the two-day fair.
A series of seminars on the sidelines also gave information on business development opportunities between Canada and Bangladesh, Canadian agriculture sector, export to Canada, education in Canada, greening RMG and IT infrastructure and e commerce.
-With New Age input
