Govt working to establish peace
PM tells EU team
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the aim of her government was to ensure a peaceful situation in the country where people would live in happiness.
“Our government's aim is to ensure a better life for the people so that they can live in peace and happiness,” she said when a delegation of the European Union Parliament met her at the Gono Bhaban.
PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
During the meeting, the delegation members said Hasina is “an example for women empowerment”.
The PM in response said the country's women were now participating in every field along with their male counterparts as the government took numerous programmes for their empowerment.
The government has made it mandatory for the authorities concerned to recruit 60 percent women as primary school teachers, she mentioned.
About the excellent communal harmony in the country, Hasina said people of all religions have been living in Bangladesh in peaceful coexistence.
A section of people had tried to create disturbance to hamper communal harmony in the country, she said. “But those could not succeed due to the government's 'zero-tolerance' policy.”
The PM said the 1.1 million Rohingyas is a great burden for Bangladesh as the country has already got 160 million in its small piece of land.
About the election process, Hasina said the government has ensured transparent ballot boxes and a voter list with photographs.
Regarding relations with neighbouring countries, the premier said Bangladesh has good ties with its neighbours, including India, China and Pakistan, as the government follows Bangabandhu's foreign policy principle -- “friendship to all, malice to none”.
She said the EU is the biggest destination of Bangladeshi readymade garments. Many EU countries were investing in Bangladesh now, the PM added.
She appreciated the EU for its continuous support towards Bangladesh for continuing the democratic process.
Ryszard Czarnecki, Eleni Theocharous, Christelle Letard, Nikolay Barekov, Agnieszka Scigaj, Henri Malosse, Madhu Sharma, Guillaume Pradoura and Hazel Lincy Ebenezer were the members of the EU delegation.