Staff Correspondent

Japanese ambassador in Dhaka today assured Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus of Tokyo’s cooperation in rebuilding Bangladesh economy as he called on him at his Jamuna office.

Briefing the newsmen after the meeting chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam said Prof Yunus sought enhanced Japan’s assistance for rebuilding Bangladesh economic when Ambassador Iwama Kiminori assured him that his country would stay beside his interim government.

The envoy acknowledged the challenges of his interim government and compared the Bangladesh situation with post-World War 2 period in Japan.

“The envoy said Japan is interested to work closely with the interim government of Bangladesh . . . He congratulated Prof Yunus on his assumption as the chief adviser to the interim government,” Alam told the briefing at the Foreign Service Academy.

Kiminori, the press secretary said, focused on economic cooperation, peace and people-to-people bonding.

The chief adviser told the envoy he considered none as foe in Bangladesh saying “we are all brothers and sisters. No one is enemy”.

The press secretary said the Rohigya crisis also came up during the meeting when the chief adviser said the repatriation of the forcibly displaced people was the only solution to the crisis.

“He sought more Japanese humanitarian assistance for Rohingyas,” Alam said.