Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu
Delhi to bolster defence ties with Dhaka during Modi's visit
India and Bangladesh will strengthen bilateral defence and security ties and are also likely to ink a number of pacts during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day state visit to Dhaka, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Modi will visit Bangladesh on March 26-27 to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the country's independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Indian PM is also slated to visit Gopalganj’s Tungipara area, Bangabandhu's birthplace.
“Both sides will be signing a range of agreements during Modi's visit. These agreements will be covering a number of areas of our cooperation -- disaster management, oceanography and trade," Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the media in New Delhi.
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"A number of new announcements -- bolstering cooperation in areas ranging from health, railway connectivity, border development and start-ups -- are also expected to be made," he added.
Talks on bolstering defence and security cooperation between the two countries are also on the agenda of Modi's meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the top Indian diplomat.
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"Security and defence is an important part of our cooperation with Bangladesh. We have in recent years signed an agreement on defence cooperation with Bangladesh and undertaken joint military, training and capacity building exercises on a regular basis," Shringla said.
"It is a regular practice for chiefs of our armed forces to visit Bangladesh. We have excellent defence cooperation between our countries. As we go along, we will continue to add more and more depth and momentum to that relationship,” the Indian Foreign Secretary added.
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On bilateral relations, Shringla said, "Ties between the two countries have no parallel. Indian soldiers had fought and were killed alongside Bangladeshis for independence."
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-kilometre-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world. Both countries also share historical, civilisation and cultural ties.
I'm here to hear Bangladesh story sitting next to Hasina: Bhutanese PM
Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering on Wednesday said he is here in Bangladesh to listen to the story of Bangladesh sitting next to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an inspiring leader and a mother like figure.
"I’ve come here to listen to the story of Bangladesh, that too seated next to Her Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an inspiring leader and a mother-like figure to me," he said.
Exactly 50 years ago, the Bhutanese Prime Minister said a nation was born amid strife and turbulence, and it went on to make a remarkable progress.
While Bangladesh shares its story of success with the world, Bhutan as the first country to recognise its independence, joins the celebration.
Besides the Golden Jubilee of its Independence, Bangladesh also marks the birth centenary of the person behind it -- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Also read: PM Hasina welcomes her Bhutanese counterpart Dr Tshering at Dhaka airport
Conveying warm greetings and prayers of the King and the people of Bhutan, Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering, during the event held at National Parade Ground in Dhaka, said it was always a delight to return to Bangladesh, but the reason this time was even more compelling.
German President lauds Bangladesh’s impressive growth
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday said Bangladesh has undergone an “impressive development and is today a vibrant democracy” with high economic growth rates.
“At the same time, Bangladesh has succeeded in clearly reducing poverty in the country using innovative development policy strategies,” he said in a message sent to President Abdul Hamid.
Also read: French senator lauds Bangladesh’s progress; recalls Bangabandhu
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen read out the message at a programme held at the National Parade Ground on Tuesday, marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence.
The German President said the world very much values Bangladesh’s peaceful foreign policy and its generous humanitarian engagement, particularly when it comes to taking in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled their homes.
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“The global challenges of our time, particularly the current pandemic situation and climate change, can only be tackled if we work together. Our many years of friendly relations provide a very firm basis for such cooperation,” the message reads.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence, he conveyed to his Bangladesh counterpart and the people of Bangladesh his sincere congratulations. “I wish you strength and every success for the tasks that lie ahead.”
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French senator lauds Bangladesh’s progress; recalls Bangabandhu
French Senator and President of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group for South East Asia Jacqueline Deromedi has lauded Bangladesh’s progress saying that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ‘today would be proud of the country he had built’.
Despite setbacks, Bangladesh continues to flourish under Hasina's leadership: Rajapaksa
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday said the inspiring journey that the people of Bangladesh had undertaken from poverty and natural disasters in the past half century is a testament to a prosperous nation in the making.
Mahinda Rajapaksa gets warm welcome as he arrives in Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed her Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) as he arrived here on Friday morning on a two-day official visit.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister due tomorrow
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is coming to Bangladesh on a two-day visit on Friday to join the celebrations of 50 years of independence and birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Bangabandhu's vision became reality due to his 'people first' philosophy: Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s vision became a reality as the founding father of Bangladesh put his people first.
BCB commemorates Bangabandhu's birth centenary
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) commemorated the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.