The Embassy of Bangladesh and India in the Russian capital Moscow have jointly celebrated ‘Maitree Diwas’ to mark the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Officials of the Embassy of the two countries were present at the Durga Prasad Dhar Auditorium of the Indian Embassy on 17 December 2021 at 6:00 pm on the occasion of Friendship Day. The program started with the National Anthem of Russia, Bangladesh and India. After that a minute of silence was observed in memory of the citizens of the two countries who sacrificed their lives in the great Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
During the discussion, Ambassador of Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Kamrul Ahsan recalled with deep gratitude the way India stood by Bangladesh during the nine months long liberation war. He said that although India officially took part in the liberation
war of Bangladesh on December 6, 1971, long before that the Freedom Fighters had received training and full support from the Indian Armed Forces which helped in boosting their morale. India also set a shining example of humanity by sheltering about one crore refugees during the war of liberation. He mentioned that the celebration of this Friendship Day on the Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the dreamer of independent Bangladesh and the Father of the Nation, has made the day more meaningful and significant. He further said that this historic relationship between Bangladesh and India has been taken to a unique level by the present Prime Minister of Bangladesh Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He noted that such cordial relationship between the two countries would play a vital role in achieving peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia in the near future. The Ambassador also recalled the important contribution of the then Soviet Union in the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Recalling the historical ties between Bangladesh and India, Ambassador of India H.E. Mr. Pavan Kapoor said that the foundation of friendly relations between the two countries was laid during the time of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of independent Bangladesh. The Ambassador further mentioned that the two countries are working together with common goals in the economic and social fields. Referring to the recent visit of His Excellency the President of India to Bangladesh to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of victory, he said that as a friendly country, Bangladesh has always occupied a special place with India.
Two videos made by the two countries are shown on the occasion of Friendship Day. The event also features a special photograph of the events of the Liberation War. One of the attractions of the program was the pleasant cultural program with songs and poems of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore and rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. At the end, the guests were entertained with dinner.
