Supportive attitude could boost mutual development
Says PM on neighbours; receives Dr Kalam Smriti Award for her role in promoting Indo-Bangla ties, global peace, welfare of people
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for having an accommodative attitude towards relations among neighbouring countries for the sake of mutual development.
“It is very natural to have problems among neighbouring countries. If there is a supportive attitude towards the relations among them, it will be very easy to achieve prosperity in the countries,” she said while receiving the Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award-2019.
TP Sreenivasan, chief adviser of the Dr Kalam Smriti International Advisory Council, handed over the award to Hasina at a ceremony at the latter’s office in the afternoon.
The award, constituted to disseminate the ideals and teachings of aerospace scientist and former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam, was conferred upon Hasina in recognition of her commitment to a close and mutually satisfying India-Bangladesh relations, welfare of her people, particularly women and children, and international peace and cooperation.
Hasina said bilateral problems can be solved through negotiations, and the countries can work together so that the people of the neigbouring nations can be benefited.
She said Bangladesh always gives importance to building friendly relations with neighbouring countries.
About the Indo-Bangla ties, she said the relations, which is marked by mutual trust and goodwill, have reached a height over the last one decade.
Recalling the contributions of India to Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971, Hasina said India had sheltered over 10 million people from Bangladesh, helped it emerge as an independent country and build the war-ravaged nation.
The PM said Bangladesh and India solved the land boundary problem peacefully as the Indian parliament unanimously passed a historic bill to implement the Land Boundary Agreement.
“Bangladesh and India have set an example for the world exchanging enclaves between the two countries in a festive mood,” she said.
Referring to her government’s development activities, the PM said the per capita income in Bangladesh has risen to $1909 this year from $543 in 2006.
Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had told journalists on many occasions that he loved the people of Bangladesh more than his family members.
“I am really proud of hearing this as my father dedicated his whole life to the people of Bangladesh.”
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was present.