Referring to the country’s huge national budget, the prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has said on Saturday night, there is no scope for anyone to undermine Bangladesh.
‘Alongside boosting our foreign currency reserve, we’ve placed a Tk 3,40,605 crore national budget unlike in the past. I express gratitude to the Almighty Allah as Bangladesh has attained the capacity to deliver such a big budget,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said this at a function marking the laying of the foundation stone of Bangladesh Chancery Building in Riyadh , reports United News of Bangladesh.
The prime minister earlier unveiled the plaque at the banquet hall of Royal Conference Palace here. She also laid the foundation stones of resident building of Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia through unveiling the plaque.
Hasina said, ‘Now, no one look at Bangladesh with negligence, but with due respect, who knows it better than Bangladeshi expatriates.’
Earlier on Thursday, finance minister AMA Muhith placed a Tk 3,40,605 crore budget for the FY17.
Reiterating her vow to set up own buildings in all of the Bangladeshi embassies abroad, Hasina said that such building was very much needed in Saudi Arabia as this country is a holy one for the entire Muslim Ummah having the two holy mosques.
She said that her government has shifted the Hajj office from Jeddah to Makkah considering the Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims, while efforts are on to make permanent the hajj office in Makkah.
Hasina said the expatriate Bangladeshis, working in various countries including Saudi Arabia, are contributing towards strengthening the economy of Bangladesh and also the countries concerned, and directed the envoys to duly look into the interests of the expatriate Bangladeshis.
Pointing towards the Bangladesh businessmen accompanying her in Saudi Arabia, the prime minister said the door of trade and commerce between the two countries will increase further in the coming days as there immense potentials in this regard.
‘We’re also trying hard so that Saudi investments are increased in Bangladesh,’ she added.
The prime minister also asked the embassy officials to nicely project Bangladesh before this Arab nation.
Referring to the establishment of own embassy buildings in India and Pakistan as well as in Japan, the prime minister said, steps had also been taken to construct such a building in Australia during her government’s tenure in 1996-2001.
She regretted that the successive BNP-Jamaat government could not construct the building, for which Bangladesh lost almost half of the land there.
Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM’s principal secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque, press secretary to the prime minister Ihsanul Karim and Bangladesh ambassador to the KSA Golam Masih were, among others, present.
Source: new age
