Two vessels, JS URAGA and JS AWAJI of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) arrived at Chattogram Port on Sunday for a goodwill port visit.
According to the ISPR, they will stay in Chattogram till April 11.
After their arrival, Captain Mohammed Faizul Hoque, Chief Staff Officer to Commander of Chattogram Naval Area (COMCHIT) received Captain NAKAI Eiichi, Commander, Minesweeper Division One, and his officers.
Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori greeted them.
During this port visit, the Bangladesh Navy will organise exchange programs such as visits on board.
Captain NAKAI will make courtesy calls on Rear Admiral Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury, Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, Commander, Bangladesh Navy Fleet (COMBAN) and Md. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Mayor, Chattogram City Corporation during their stay in Chittagong.
Moreover, JS URAGA and JS AWAJI will conduct a goodwill exercise with the Bangladesh Navy in the surrounding sea on 11th.
JS URAGA and JS AWAJI departed from Japan on January 19 for IMED23 (Indo-Pacific and Middle East Deployment23).
During the dispatch, they make port calls in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, returning to Japan on May 23..
The JMSDF has made port visits to Chattogram three times before, in 2012, in 2019 and in 2022.
This forth visit marks the start of the new voyage towards the next 50 years of the bilateral relations between Japan and Bangladesh, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic relations of the two countries last year.
This port visit will not only strengthen the bilateral relations between Japan and Bangladesh but also contribute to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”, which is a vision to secure peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
