Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the participation of Bangladesh in the 18th summit of multilateral forum Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Baku of Azerbaijan, has further strengthened the country’s position in the international arena.
The prime minister said this while addressing a press conference at her Ganabhaban residence on her Azerbaijan tour on Tuesday, reports UNB.
"The participation of Bangladesh in the NAM Summit was very significant considering the possibility of political polarization of the new world order," she said.
She said NAM is the second largest multilateral forum after the United Nations, and NAM alongside the UN has a very important role to play in resolving the Rohingya crisis.
Sheikh Hasina said issues on strengthening concerted efforts and multilateral diplomacy of the member countries were mainly discussed at the two-day summit.
Following the stance of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which the great leader declared in the 4th NAM Summit in 1973, she highlighted Bangladesh’s voice in favour of the exploited people.
"It has been possible to project Bangladesh’s achievements and its contribution to establishing world peace as well as its stance for the exploited people around the world, including the Palestinians," the prime minister said.
Besides, it was also possible to highlight the issues to work together by the NAM member states in facing various challenges like adverse impact of climate change and the Rohingya crisis, she said.
Terming basic principles of the NAM as a symbol of hopes and aspirations of the common people, Sheikh Hasina stressed ensuring peace and security across the globe as well as giving priority to cultural values to discard conflicts.
Besides, she urged all to work unitedly in the light of the values of the 21st century to build a peaceful and stable world.
Sheikh Hasina mentioned that the issues of resolving conflicts among countries, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), disarmament of nuclear weapons and freedom of Palestinian people also came up in her speech.
In her speech alongside various success stories of the country, she mentioned the Rohingya crisis and climate change as the two major challenges for Bangladesh.
The prime minister, during the press conference said, she urged the international community to come forward to face the challenges.
Besides, she reiterated that the voluntary return of Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine state of Myanmar with safety, security and dignity is the only solution to the crisis.
During her stay in Baku, the prime minister said, she also held bilateral meetings with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad and Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the sidelines of the NAM Summit.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malik also paid a courtesy call on her at Baku Congress Centre, she added.
Referring to her meeting with Azerbaijan president, Sheikh Hasina said both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in the years to come for mutual benefits.
Referring to the Rohingya crisis, she thanked Aliyev for extending moral and physical support to Bangladesh on the issue.
The prime minister further said she also recalled with profound respect the support of Azerbaijan as part of the then Soviet Union to Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.
About her talks with Iranian President Rouhani and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, the prime minister said they highly praised Bangladesh’s humanitarian gesture to give shelter to Rohingyas and provide them with other support.
They also echoed with the stance of Bangladesh saying it is Myanmar who has to resolve the Rohingya crisis, the prime minister added.
The prime minister said the Algerian president proposed opening a mission in Dhaka to boost its trade and business with Bangladesh.
On her talks with the Nepalese prime minister, Sheikh Hasina said she put emphasis on finalizing the Preferential Trade Agreement with Nepal for the mutual benefits of the people of the two countries.
