Japan has shown interest in the "operation and maintenance" of the new terminal at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Sunday made the comment after the bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Komura Masahiko. 

Japan helped Bangladesh to construct this state-of-the-art terminal 3.

“Japan has expressed interest in the operation and maintenance of the third terminal. Discussions are ongoing with several Japanese companies. The Biman and the Civil Aviation will discuss this in detail,” Shahriar Alam told reporters.

He said the prime minister had directed the relevant authorities to ensure that the terminal does not only remain world-class in terms of design but also with the services for the passengers.

The construction of the Tk21,300 crore project began in December 2019.

Shahriar thanked Japan for completing the construction on time despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Replying to a question, the state minister said they had discussed the upcoming general elections during the bilateral meeting.

“We reiterate our position to hold free and fair elections,” he said. “But they (Japan) don't have anything like the kind of concerns and other issues that you have heard from one or two other countries at different times.”

While talking about Bangladesh’s trade with Japan, the state minister said: “We have said that today's Bangladesh is standing here because of the continuity and political stability of the last 15 years. It will continue in the days to come.”

He said that the ongoing projects with Japanese support should be completed on time.