DHAKA: Dutch investors called Bangladesh a land of ‘opportunity’ that has an “untapped potential with huge market size of its own," says press release of Foreign Ministry on Friday.
As many as 50 Dutch investors echoed their appreciation at an investment seminar titled “Bangladesh: Opportunities and Best Practices” in the Dutch capital city The Hague on Thursday.
Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague organized the seminar in collaboration with Nyenrode University of The Netherlands.
The release signed by the ministry’s External Publicity Wing director (media) Nripendra Chandra Debnath said the Dutch investors unanimously appreciated the entrepreneurial spirit and high level of enthusiasm and commitment they happily witnessed in the people of Bangladesh.
According to them, Bangladesh is slowly but surely emerging as the gateway to South Asia given its geostrategic location with both China and India on either side of her border.
The rise of ASEAN common market makes it even more auspicious for the potential investors to consider Bangladesh as their next investment destination.
Mr. Andre Nijhof of Nyenrode moderated a panel discussion. When asked why they choose Bangladesh as their investment destination, Mr. Peter Van Bergen, proprietor of Budgetview and Impel IT solutions with big IT offices both in Dhaka and in Amsterdam, highlighted that he found the commitment of the people of Bangladesh as highly praiseworthy and also he found the level of spoken English very satisfactory.
Mr. Peter also stated that compared to other countries he found working in Bangladesh “easier”. Mr. Vicenta Ariza, representative of Maruboshi Europe BV in Bangladesh was very candid to say that he found “commitment” and “enthusiasm” of people of Bangladesh unparallel.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal sought their understanding and reassured them about government's steady resolve to maintain peace and stability in the country.
Ambassador Belal drew their attentions to the European Union resolutions where the Union was candid in identifying the roots of instability when they urged BNP to unequivocally distance itself from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hafezat-e-Islam.
Mr. Rene Beerepoot of RVO made a presentation on Dutch assistance for firms to expand their business in Bangladesh.
Overall mood of the audience was highly in favour of more investment and business with Bangladesh. Dutch investors in Information Technology, Logistics, waste management, water management, business consultancy etc participated in the event.
BDST: 1813 HRS, JAN 30, 2015
