Bangladeshi peacekeepers playing important role for global peace
Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been playing an important role in establishing global peace and restoring stability in conflict-ridden regions, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A Chowdhury said yesterday.
He was speaking at a meeting commemorating the fourth death anniversary of 15 Bangladeshi peacekeepers who were killed in an air crash in Benin in 2003.
"Our peacekeepers have taken up the peacekeeping mission as a challenge. We have turned the sacrifice into strength," he said.
Family members of the 15 peacekeepers were present at the meeting.
The foreign adviser said Bangladesh's peacekeeping record has made the country the UN's first choice with regard to deployment of peacekeepers.
He said Bangladeshi peacekeepers have risen to a 'position of prestige' in the international community by becoming the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping mission. Bangladesh currently has 9831 peacekeepers in 13 missions across the globe.
Seventy-nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers have died so far while serving in the UN mission. The country has provided more than 62,000 peacekeepers to UN missions.
Iftekhar said Bangladeshi peacekeepers from the army, navy, air force and the police have never retreated in the face of danger when confronted with 'unknown enemies on foreign soil'.
"In recognition of our peacekeeping activities, Bangladesh has been made a member of the Organisational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission," he added.
Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain presided over the meeting organised by Rhythm Cultural Society.
Dr Kamal said the human rights are one of Bangladesh's founding principles and that means the country's soldiers would always fight for human rights and juice elsewhere in the world.
A World Peace Memorial is currently being built by the government, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
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