Bangladesh-US ties to reach new height

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday said relationships between Bangladesh and the US will reach a new height under the Joe Biden administration.

"We are very happy with the Joe Biden administration," said Momen.

He said Bangladesh does not want to see any events that led to movements like Black Lives Matter that took place in the US a few months ago and also the uprooting of more than one million Rohingyas from Myanmar.

The foreign minister lamented that while Bangladesh has a lot of positive achievements, the media outlets are not portraying the country's positive image, but negative ones.

Bangladesh is no more a case of bottomless basket, now the country is a land of opportunities, although media does not showcase the country's positive sides, the minister said while addressing the AmCham Frontline Journalism Award ceremony.

He added that technologies and innovations have created opportunities in modern journalism.

The American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh in collaboration with Masthead PR awarded 25 journalists of print and electronic media for their outstanding performance in journalism during the pandemic.

Earl Robert Miller, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, in the virtual award-giving ceremony highlighted the contribution of journalists when they covered the pandemic news putting their lives under threat of the deadly virus.

He said some 43 Bangladeshi journalists have died from Covid-19 so far. It took great courage and journalistic principles to put their lives under threat and go to report even during such a pandemic, Miller said.

The journalists give voice to the voiceless, he said, mentioning his country's support to the journalists.

Syed Ershad Ahmed, AmCham president, said the businesses are still reeling from the fallout of the pandemic.

It is great that the journalists came out from their homes and covered the reports defying the fears of virus, he said.

While moderating the event, Syed Mohammad Kamal, AmCham vice-president, said a jury board selected the best reports from published and aired reports called from journalists of the period between March 1 and August 31 last year.