Bangladesh\’s Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday offered help to Afghanistan in their efforts for development. He stressed that peace is a must for progress. ‘Peace is a must for development,\’ she said when outgoing Afghan ambassador Abdul Qayoom Malikzad met her
Ihsanul Karim, the PM\’s press secretary, briefed reporters after the conference
During the meeting, the Afghan envoy informed the PM that the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman\’s historic March 7, 1971 speech had been translated into Afghan. She said that the government is working to make Bangladesh a poverty- and hunger-free society. This was also Sheikh Mujibur Rahman\’s dream when he established the country.
Sheikh Hasina described Bangladesh-Afghanistan relations as \”wonderful,\” adding that the two countries have collaborated on international issues.
She reported that non-governmental organizations such as BRAC are working to boost Afghanistan\’s socio-economic condition. The prime minister said that the government has enlisted the assistance of the public so that peace can be established.
The prime minister has also expressed her condolences to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The Afghan ambassador congratulated the prime minister on the country\’s 50th anniversary of independence. He lauded Sheikh Hasina\’s innovative leadership, in which Bangladesh has made significant progress.
The ambassador of Afghanistan, Abdul Qayoom Malikzad, congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Bangladesh\’s Golden Jubilee. The Afghan envoy also stated that bilateral ties between the two countries have improved under the leadership of the Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina).
Steps towards strengthening ties between the two countries
He thanked Bangladesh\’s prime minister for cooperating with the Afghan embassy in Bangladesh. The envoy also indicated that there is ample room for trade and investments. He further insisted on the reopening of Bangladesh\’s embassy in Afghanistan.
Bangladesh has been actively involved in Afghanistan\’s reconstruction process, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai has lauded. When the US demanded that Bangladesh send troops to Afghanistan, the Bangladeshi government announced that it would not send troops to Afghanistan but would help in the recovery and rebuilding of the war-torn region.
In past, Bangladesh has also promised to train Afghan civil servants, police officers, and diplomats in order to develop a trained labour force. Moreover, Bangladesh has multiple non-profit organizations, which deal with various sectors, such as, education, health and crisis management. In Afghanistan, there are about 170 Bangladeshi non-profit organizations.
