World leaders greet Hasina

Heads of governments of different countries congratulated Sheikh Hasina on her assumption of the office of Prime Minister.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday congratulated his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on her becoming the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, saying India attaches the "highest importance" to its relations with her country.
"Our two countries share close bonds of friendship based on a rich cultural heritage, a common border and regular people-to-people exchanges, all of which make our relationship a multifaceted one," he said in a letter to Hasina who was sworn in as Prime Minister yesterday.
He said he was looking forward to working closely with her to further strengthen and expand the relationship in a manner that responds to the aspirations of the people of the two countries for a more prosperous and secure future.
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani greeted his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on her ascending to premiership yesterday.
In a message of felicitation he said, "This is an historic occasion as it marks the return of democracy to Bangladesh."
Gilani said Pakistan and Bangladesh have a very special relationship and expressed desire to work with her for further expanding and deepening the close bonds of friendship between two brotherly countries.
"South Asia is facing unprecedented challenges in the present times. These call for concerted efforts in order to achieve the shared goal of economic prosperity of our two peoples," he said.
He assured Pakistan government's full support and cooperation in the realisation of common objectives of regional harmony and national progress and development.
In separate messages, Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan also greeted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone congratulated Sheikh Hasina on her inauguration as new Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
"The election in Bangladesh was successfully carried out despite various challenges. This exemplifies that a consolidation of democracy in Bangladesh is making a steady progress, marking a right start of a new democracy in Bangladesh," he said.
He said the government of Japan hopes that the people of Bangladesh will be united in making efforts for further development of the country under the new Prime Minister elected in a democratic process. Japan will continue to support Bangladesh in this endeavour.
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" in a message of congratulation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina noted that the recent elections in Bangladesh had ushered in a democratic governance and overwhelming people's support Hasina's party reflects their expectations to feel the real change.
In this context, he said both Nepal and Bangladesh have similar experiences as the Nepali people have also displayed their keenness to build a new prosperous Nepal through the election of Constituent Assembly held last April.
He said Nepal and Bangladesh can work together for achieving goals to consolidate bilateral relations and hoped that relations between the two countries would be further strengthened during the term of Sheikh Hasina.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Indian Loksabha Somnath Chatterjee Wednesday congratulated Sheikh Hasina on her being the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Somnath hoped that the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India would be further strengthened during her tenure, in a letter of felicitation he said.
Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, also greeted Sheikh Hasina for becoming Prime Minister of Bangladesh.