From left: Salah Attia, Algerian Consul General; Ambassador Farid Azhar, head of finance and administration of foreign affairs in Makkah; Dr. Gowher Rizvi, adviser of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shiek Hasina on international affairs; and Md. Nazmul Islam, Consul General of Bangladesh cut the cake to celebrate Bangladesh’s 42nd Independence and National Day.

Syeda Amtul

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Bangladesh’s 42nd Independence and National day was celebrated at Crowne Plaza hotel Tuesday.



Dr. Gowher Rizvi, adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on international affairs, conveyed the prime minister’s felicitations and greetings to the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.



Rizvi, who was on a short visit to the Kingdom, said that the celebration of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh with the people of the Kingdom was an important part of his visit. “Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have extremely cordial, eternal relations, and Saudi Arabia has been a great development partner of Bangladesh,” said Rizvi.



Highlighting the progress of the country, Rizvi said: “Bangladesh has achieved extraordinary progress in very few years.



“In 1971, we were 70 million people and had shortage of food. Today, 40 years later our population stands at nearly 155 million and we are not only food sufficient, but we have started exporting it.”



In response to the problems faced by Bangladeshi expatriates here, Rizvi said: “I don’t think Bangladeshi expatriates as such have a problem here. Saudi government have their own policies and from time to time they review their policies.



“The problems and challenges that we face are no different from India, Pakistan and other countries that send their workers.”



He advised the Bangladeshi community to contribute in the development of Saudi Arabia. “They are not only citizens of Bangladesh but residents of Saudi Arabia and we want them to be peaceful, law abiding residents.”

Md. Nazmul Islam, Consul general of Bangladesh, along with other consuls welcomed Ambassador Farid Azhar, head of finance and administration of foreign affairs in Makkah, the guest of honor for the evening.



They did so in the presence of dignitaries, government officials, diplomats from other countries, local businessmen and prominent members of the Bangladeshi community.



Islam said: “Bangladesh has traveled a long path from its painful birth; it’s now a role model for fighting poverty and extremism, empowering women, disaster management and coping challenges posed by global and climate change.



“It has achieved remarkable progress in the field of agriculture, education, health, communication, etc.” He added: “As one of the largest Muslim countries, Bangladesh enjoys special brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia based on common Islamic values, traditions, faith, culture and mutual respect.



“We acknowledge the fact gratefully that our Saudi brothers and sisters have always extended their hands of cooperation to Bangladesh particularly in our times of need.”



He also spoke about the strong relations between both Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. “The 10th Joint Economic commission meeting between the two countries was held in Riyadh very recently when both the sides agreed to strengthen their exiting cooperation on a wide range of issues, including manpower, trade and investment,infrastructure development, power, energy, agriculture, education, security, etc.



“We are thankful to the Saudi government for the generous hosting of a significant number of Bangladeshi expatriates, who have been playing very important and active role in the economic development of the two brotherly countries.”



Earlier program started with the recitation of a few verses from the Qur’an followed by a ceremonial cake cutting. A short documentary also was also shown featuring the culture, heritage, tourist attractions and traditions of Bangladesh.