COLOMBO : Bangladesh hosts the largest Sri Lankan community in South Asia. They are sending the much-needed remittance to Sri Lanka and also contributing to our economy, said Bangladesh high commissioner Tareq Mohd.Ariful Islam on his country’s independence and national day on March 26.
Full text or his speech : “ On this day in 1971, our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence. Bangladesh eventually emerged as an independent, sovereign nation under his astute leadership. We pay our deepest homage to him as well as to our millions of martyrs, valiant freedom fighters and war heroines for their sacrifice.
I recall with gratitude our foreign friends and nations who had extended their support for our independence.
Sri Lanka recognized Bangladesh on March 4, 1972. Ever since, Bangladesh-Sri Lanka relationship has been all about friendship, goodwill and good neighbourliness.
Distinguished guests,
Rising from the ashes of a devastating war of liberation, today Bangladesh stands tall in the comity of nations as a responsible member. Once dismissed as the world’s ‘basket case’, Bangladesh is now recognized as one of the developing world’s greatest success stories. It has been an incredible, yet humbling journey led by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
We deeply value Sri Lanka’s partnership in our journey.
Distinguished guests,
We are very happy to see that economic stability is getting restored in Sri Lanka. It reflects the resilience of the nation. We earnestly hope that the year 2024 will see Sri Lanka return to growth trajectory. Bangladesh stands firmly beside Sri Lanka in its endeavours. We in our humble ways supported Sri Lanka during its challenging time. The support will continue.
Distinguished guests,
Commonality is the hallmark of our relations. We speak the languages of the same family, we look alike, we eat similar foods, we wear similar clothes. We share family values and civilizational linkages. We have similar aspirations, and even similar development challenges.
Cricket is our common craze. Here we acknowledge Sri Lanka’s contribution to our cricketing development. Our teams are now fierce competitors on the field. Well, it’s too fierce I suppose.
Natural bond between our two peoples is the other pillar. We freely engage with Sri Lankan common people. We sponsor various community services such as sporting events, palliative care, blood donation, community kitchen, dry rations, school stationary, projects on environmental protection.
Bangladesh has long been giving medical and dental scholarships for Sri Lankan students. Besides, many Sri Lankan students are having their higher studies in Bangladesh. Many Sri Lankan professionals are gainfully employed in Bangladesh. In fact, Bangladesh hosts the largest Sri Lankan community in South Asia. They are sending the much-needed remittance to Sri Lanka and also contributing to our economy.
Bangladeshi young monks are studying Buddhism at Pirivenas in Sri Lanka. We love our cultural exchanges. We have been upholding our common values by celebrating the International Mother Language Day with Sri Lankan school children. We are sharing our development experiences. Our defence personnel are having training at each other’s institutes. These are small yet beautiful and effective collaboration.
Distinguished guests,
We are working for more robust shipping and air connectivity. Operation of FitsAir between Dhaka and Colombo will start from next month. It is expected to bring more tourists from Bangladesh. It will also enhance people’s connectivity and business.
We are striving for further collaboration in public health, agriculture, tourism, and youth development. Bangladesh is one of the top users of Colombo Port. We are negotiating a PTA which will open up more business opportunities.
Sri Lanka can benefit by tapping into our huge domestic market and from our remarkable economic growth. Many Sri Lankan business houses have invested in Bangladesh. They are running successful businesses there. The interest to do business with Bangladesh is growing in Sri Lanka. All these could help Sri Lanka’s economic recovery.
Our two nations enjoy this strong camaraderie in regional and international fora as well. We support Sri Lanka on human rights issues. We are working together to combat global common challenges such as climate change, terrorism, and pandemic. Our engagements and mutual support at the IORA hold a lot of potential too.
Yet, there is so much more to achieve. With this conviction, we are exploring new areas of collaboration such as maritime domain awareness, blue economy, and IT.
I am proud to witness all these signs of deepening of our bilateral ties.
Distinguished guests,
The turn of 52 years of our relations gives us a solid foundation for our partnership in the next century and beyond. I am looking forward to achieving a shared prosperity for our two peoples in the days ahead. In conclusion, I wish the people of our two countries, and everyone present here tonight, the very best.”
