Jan 22, 2020
Indian president Ram Nath Kovind has said his country wants Bangladesh to become more vibrant in social and economic development, reports UNB.
He said India has a special relation with Bangladesh and it attaches highest priority to making that even stronger.
The Indian president made the remarks when newly-appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran presented his credentials to him on Tuesday.
He presented the credentials at a colourful ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan (Presidential Palace) in India’s capital of New Delhi.
The envoy was accompanied by his wife Zakia Hasnat Imran and senior officials of the mission.
A career diplomat, Imran succeeds late ambassador Syed Muazzem Ali, whose five-year tenure as Bangladesh high commissioner to India expired last month.
The two countries look forward to stronger and deeper cooperation in all aspects, especially in security, connectivity and people-to-people contact, according to Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
Kovind said India is happy to be a partner of Bangladesh in the joint celebrations of birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation and 50 years of establishing diplomatic ties.
The Indian president fondly recalled late ambassador Syed Muazzem Ali describing him as a good friend of India and true patriot of Bangladesh.
He also conveyed his regards to Bangladesh president Abdul Hamid.
In his reply, the new High Commissioner conveyed greetings from Bangladesh president Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
He said Bangladesh remains grateful to the government and people of India for their extending all-out support to the 1971 War of Liberation.
The Bangladesh-India cooperation had, in fact, began in the battlefield of 1971, he recalled.
The envoy said the Bangladesh-India relations have reached at an exceptional level and it is described as the “best one” and as model of “neighbourhood relations” thanks to the dynamic leadership of prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi.
The envoy assured the Indian president that he would ceaselessly endeavour to achieve his government’s goal to further expand and consolidate the bilateral cooperation.
He underscored prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s persistent efforts to further promote regional and sub-regional cooperation focusing on security, mutual trust and confidence, promotion of connectivity and all round economic cooperation on a win-win basis.
Referring to the “Mujib Borsho”, the centenary celebrations of the birth of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the envoy said Bangladesh looks forward to participation of a host of Indian leaders, including Narendra Modi, to the inaugural ceremony scheduled to be held in Dhaka on 17 March this year.
Imran takes up his India assignment after serving as Bangladesh’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for about seven years.
He belongs to the 1986 batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) foreign affairs cadre.
Imran has also served as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Uzbekistan.
He has worked in various capacities at Bangladesh Missions in Jeddah, Bonn, Berlin, and Ottawa as well as aDeputy High Commissioner at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.
Earlier in the day, the High Commissioner held a meeting with officers and staff of the mission.
