Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said that Bangladesh has placed itself in a “very dignified position” in multilateral diplomacy and made commendable progress in all areas of the socio-economic spheres due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership.
He made this comment while speaking at the reception hosted by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York to celebrate the great Independence and National Day-2023 of Bangladesh on Tuesday.
He paid rich tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, three million martyrs, two hundred thousand women and all heroic freedom fighters-who made supreme sacrifice for our great independence.
He also expressed most sincere gratitude to the friendly nations who accelerated our victory by extending all possible support to us-both at the battlefield and at the diplomatic front.
“Our journey as an independent country has been a transformative one. Emerging as a war-ravaged, impoverished country in 1971, Bangladesh today has become a model for inclusive and people centered development. Bold policies and forward-looking and inclusive development strategies adopted by the government of Bangladesh have led us to rapid growth, structural transformation, and self -reliance,” said the foreign secretary.
“Our next perspective plan envisions a developed Bangladesh by 2041, for which the Prime Minister has launched a new ‘Smart Bangladesh’ campaign and we seek the support from the international community to materialize our long-term goal,” he further added.
Remembering with deep respect the greatest Bengali of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, thirty lac martyrs, two hundred thousand women and all heroic freedom fighters of our liberation war in 1971, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, in his welcome speech said that Bangladesh has been playing very active role in various multilateral forum including at the UN.
Referring to Bangabandhu’s famous foreign policy dictum “Friendship to all and malice towards none”, he further said that we are deeply engaged to advance the mandate of the UN on many important issues including migration, climate change, women empowerment and international peace and security.
He concluded his remarks by reiterating Bangladesh’s commitment to multilateralism and making value-driven contributions to all important UN discourses.
The event was attended by more than 100 Permanent Representatives, high officials of the UN Secretariat, international media personalities, think tanks and other dignitaries. The event started with hoisting of the national flag and playing the national anthem.
The guests were served iftar-dinner with traditional Bangladeshi cuisine.
