During his courtesy visit to Mayor-elect Sebastian "Baste" Duterte and officials of the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) on June 6, 2022, Ambassador F.M. Borhan Uddin expressed interest in establishing a sister-city pact between Khulna and Davao City.
“We have received some ideas from DCIPC. Number one is making a sister city agreement. That is a very good idea for us and by initiating the sister city agreement, we can work together on the environment protection,” said Uddin in an interview.
Uddin also mentioned that an investment from Bangladesh, particularly in pharmaceuticals, was being discussed.
He mentioned that Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company, is considering establishing a plant in the Philippines.
“We will request (company) to divert the company here in Davao City if possible. We will try to negotiate the company to come here to Davao City and establish their plant,” he said.
A signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Embassy and the city government of Davao to further collaborations in the fields of business, and tourism, among others is expected this year.
“We have discussed some areas of cooperation with Davao City. We are working on cooperation between the two countries. Davao City is inviting special attention from other countries around the world,” Uddin said.
The diplomat also sees Davao City and the Philippines as potential trade partners, as well as people-to-people exchanges and relevant collaborations, saying that he aims to introduce Bangladesh to the Filipinos as he also learns more about them.
Uddin also shared in his courtesy visit the recent developments in Bangladesh including its rise as the second highest importer of textiles in the world, next to China, as well as agriculture and economic progress that Bangladesh has witnessed over the years.
Bangladesh is the 50th largest exporter to the Philippines. The total bilateral trade between Bangladesh and the Philippines stands around $110 million in 2020-2021.
The main export products include agricultural products, frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, knitwear, woven garments, home textile, footwear, leathers, cotton, jute and jute goods, chemical products, plastic products, and copper wire.
Meanwhile, the incoming mayor said everyone from Bangladesh is very much welcome to Davao City and wishes to visit Bangladesh soon.
Uddin also met with the officials of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc (DCCCII) and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
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