PM Hasina: Bangladesh-EU partnership reaches new height during Brussels visit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday called her visit to Brussels very fruitful saying Bangladesh's partnership with the European Union (EU) reached new height during the visit.

"New doors of investment opportunities in renewable energy, connectivity, education and research, digital infrastructure and medical equipment manufacturing in Bangladesh have been opened up under the Global Gateway," she told a press conference on the outcome of her October 24-26 visit to Belgium at her official residence Ganabhaban.

“By this tour, I hope that bilateral relations with Belgium and Luxembourg will deepen further and scope for cooperation would widen,” she said.

PM Hasina returned home on Friday morning after wrapping up her three-day official visit to Belgium.

In Brussels the PM Hasina attended the "Global Gateway Forum-2023" at the invitation of the European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen.

During her stay in Brussels, PM Hasina had a number of meetings with leaders of European countries, the European Commission (EC), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Parliament as well as attended a community reception on the sidelines of the Forum.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she will have dialogue with the opposition if the US President Joe Biden does the same with former president and 2024 US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“Is (US President) Biden holding dialogue with Mr Trump? If Biden sits with Trump for dialogue, then I will hold the dialogue (with opposition),” she said at a press conference referring to the US ambassador's call for dialogue with the opposition earlier on Tuesday.

Following a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas expressed hope that all sides going forward will engage in a “dialogue” without preconditions to de-escalate tensions and find a path forward to free, fair and peaceful elections.

The prime minister also said that the people of Bangladesh “do not want any dialogue with killers.”

“No dialogue with the killers. This is Bangladesh. People of the country also do not want any dialogue with killers,” she told the press conference.

Election will be held and it will be in due time, she added.

The prime minister accused the BNP of wanting to create an unusual situation ahead of the national election.

“BNP does not want an election; they want to create an unusual situation,” she said.

“BNP is a party of terrorists,” PM Hasina said.