Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has invited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to participate in the celebrations of Mujib Year and the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence.
He made the invitation during a virtual meeting on Thursday.
The UN chief highly lauded Bangladesh’s tremendous efforts in mitigating the health and socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Referring to Bangladesh’s past successes in disaster management, he said in view of Bangladesh’s ranking as a global leader in risk mitigation, he was not surprised to see such accomplishment.
Guterres expressed admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, especially for her strong commitment to the people of Bangladesh.
They also agreed that the Covid-19 vaccination should be treated as ‘global public good’.
The UN secretary general highly appreciated Bangladesh’s generosity in giving shelter to Rohingyas and reiterated that, “Return of refugees to Myanmar is our common objective”.
He said the UN stands ready to support Bangladesh in resolving the crisis.
The foreign minister apprised the Guterres of the measures taken by the government in Bhashan Char and sought UN’s support for humanitarian assistance there for the Rohingyas.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen is currently visiting Washington DC on an official trip to reach out the new Administration to further enhance the bilateral relations and to convey Bangladesh’s willingness to work closely with the new US Administration.❐
