Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said a delegation of 20 ambassadors from European Union countries who are in India’s New Delhi is set to visit Bangladesh to meet him within several days which has never happened before.
The interim government chief also said he had received massive support from global communities after taking the reins of the country.
In his 34-minute-long speech marking the completion of 100 days in office on Sunday, he highlighted the past activities and challenges and his government's initial thoughts on the roadmap of a fresh election.
The chief advisor said, “The ambassadors of 20 EU countries live in New Delhi and seven others in Dhaka. Ambassadors of these 27 countries will visit Dhaka in the next few days to meet me. Such an EU delegation never sat for discussion with the government earlier. Such a large number of ambassadors did not come together before from Delhi as well.”
“The EU wants to express its support and build high-level cooperation in the economic sector through the visit. Envoys from many countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, Finland, Singapore, and Libya have already met me. They agreed to enhance bilateral ties alongside an increase in trade and investment."
Extending his thanks to the world leaders on the occasion of 100 days after assuming power, the chief advisor said almost all of them had extended their support during the critical period of Bangladesh.
“At the United Nations General Assembly in September, I had the opportunity to meet with the heads of government around the globe, including the United States, the European Union, Canada, Italy, Holland, and the secretary-general of the United Nations. They have spontaneously promised their full cooperation to us.”
“I also had a meeting with the heads of government of Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and several neighbouring countries where I talked about reviving SAARC [South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation]," he continued.
Claiming that the scope of work for Bangladeshis is expanding abroad after the current government took over, Yunus said: "We are working for the welfare of the expatriate workers. The UAE has released 57 convicted Bangladeshis along with others at my request. These migrant workers protested against fascism despite the risk of imprisonment. Bangladeshis have protested in many other countries. We're thankful for them."
“A few days ago in Baku, I met His Highness UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He told me to let him know if Bangladesh needs any support.”
Yunus also said that his government is taking all possible steps for the welfare of the expatriate workers.
“Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently visited Bangladesh. He promised to reopen the doors of Malaysia for 18,000 Bangladeshis who could not go to Malaysia due to mismanagement of the autocratic government despite complying with all the formalities."
Hinting at future economic ties with the Muslim world, he said: “We have applied for ASEAN [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] membership. The Malaysian premier has assured us that he will actively consider our request. We have received similar assurances from Indonesia.
“The Indonesian side has requested me to pay a state visit to that country. Many countries of the world, including Saudi Arabia, have offered to increase cooperation with us. For the first time, we are appointing a permanent ambassador to the OIC [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation] headquarters.”
The chief advisor says he has received massive support from global communities
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Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Thursday urged all to remain alert so that no domestic or foreign enemy can disrupt Bangladesh's progress through the use of militancy.
“There is no friendly neighbouring country for Bangladesh. They always try to defame Bangladesh. What happened during 2005 to 2006 has been exaggerated by them”.
Asif Nazrul was speaking as chief guest at a meeting in memory of judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pandey, who lost their lives in a bomb attack by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in 2005.
In the past, attempts were made to cause a rise of fundamentalists in Bangladesh and by doing this a particular country was able to convince the international community to set up a controlled government in Bangladesh, Asif Nazrul said.
“As a result, we got a fascist government to rule the country in the last 15 years,” he added.
He said that in order to save the country and its people, Bangladesh must rid itself of militancy and fundamentalism at any cost.
Referring to the tragic death of the two judges in 2005, Asif Nazrul said that militancy and extremism are very dangerous matters. This incident is a great example of how irrational, inhuman and cruel these matters make people, he added.
“Our neighbouring country has also witnessed terrible militancy at different times,” he went on to say.
A cargo vessel from Pakistan's Karachi has arrived at Chittagong Port, the first-ever direct maritime link between the two countries.
Carrying a diverse array of goods with an estimated 2,300 TEUs of capacity, the vessel's voyage highlights growing demand for direct trade between the two countries, said a press release issued today (13 November).
Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof termed the direct shipping route a major step forward in enhancing bilateral trade and business ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh besides boosting a more integrated and trade network across the region.
He said the initiative will not only accelerate the existing trade flows but also promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides.
Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Faruk told The Business Standard that the Panama-flagged vessel Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan arrived at Chattogram port from Dubai via Karachi on 11 November. The vessel carried 370 TEU containers, which were unloaded. Ot departed Chattogram on 12 November.
According to the Chattogram Port Authority, there is currently no fixed route for direct shipping between Chattogram and Pakistan. The Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan arrived at Chattogram Port through the Dubai-Karachi- Chattogram route.
A cargo vessel from Pakistan's Karachi has arrived at Chittagong Port, the first-ever direct maritime link between the two countries. Carrying a diverse array of goods with an estimated 2,300 TEUs of capacity, the vessel's voyage highlights growing demand for direct trade between the two...
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