DHAKA : Prime Minister's Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin today said around 45 senior executives from 25 leading US companies are scheduled to visit Bangladesh by the end of next week to explore investment opportunities and further strengthen Bangladesh-US economic relations. 

The visiting business delegation will hold a series of meetings with officials of different ministries and government agencies and is also expected to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said. 

Mahdi Amin was briefing reporters outside the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Tejgaon this afternoon following a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and visiting US President's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor. 

He said the visit by the US business delegation would mark an important step towards increasing US investment in Bangladesh and deepening the economic partnership between the two countries. 

Mahdi said the US envoy, during discussions held earlier in the day, expressed strong confidence in the leadership of Bangladesh's elected Prime Minister. 

“They noted that political stability has returned to Bangladesh under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's leadership and that the country’s democratic journey is progressing positively," he added. 

He said the US side also appreciated the policies and initiatives undertaken by the government over the past five months, adding that both sides held detailed discussions on advancing multidimensional and multilateral relations through a stronger economic partnership. 

The PMO spokesperson said the confidence of the international community in the Bangladesh government is increasingly being reflected globally. 

Referring to the revised US State Department travel advisory, he said it would encourage American investors and visitors to explore new economic opportunities in Bangladesh. 

“This visit will help expand bilateral trade and investment and create substantial employment opportunities in the country,” he added. 

Mahdi also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently held an important meeting with leading entrepreneurs and industrialists from Bangladesh's business community. Several ministers, state ministers, advisers and heads of government agencies attended the meeting, he said. 

Referring to challenges created in the country's governance system and trade and investment sectors during the previous authoritarian rule, Mahdi said the BNP-led government has been making continuous efforts over the past five months to overcome those obstacles. 

He said local business leaders urged the government to address the long-term shortages of electricity and gas, ensure energy security, reform the tax and tariff systems, and remove investment bottlenecks in economic zones, including those under the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA). 

“The Prime Minister listened attentively to their proposals and assured them of ensuring a pro-business and pro-investment environment,” he added. 

Mahdi said the Prime Minister also took immediate decisions based on proposals from the business community to make import and export trade faster and more efficient. 

In particular, he said, the Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure round-the-clock services at Chattogram Port, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and other ports to keep commercial activities uninterrupted. 

Reiterating the government’s priorities, the PMO spokesperson said the government’s core objective is to harness the country's demographic dividend by equipping its young population with the skills needed for employment and self-employment. 

“The government is committed to successfully implementing people-oriented budgets and policies under the slogan, ‘Korbo Kaj Gorbo Desh, Sobar Agee Bangladesh (We Will Work, We Will Build the Nation, Bangladesh First)’," he said. 

Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony and Assistant Press Secretary K M Nazmul Haque, among others, were present at the briefing.