I extend my heartiest felicitations to all our countrymen, at home and abroad, on the happy occasion of the 34th anniversary of our independence and National Day. On this auspicious day, the entire nation pays tribute to the valiant freedom fighters and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of our freedom and-independence.
As we celebrate this solemn and momentous day we pause to recall its historical significance. Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, in making the clarion call for our nation’s independence on this historic day in 1971, dreamt of a Bangladesh free from political as well as economic exploitation.
The BNP-led four-party alliance government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has been implementing development programs with the aim of translating the true spirit of the liberation war into action. I urge upon every Bangladeshi, irrespective of affiliation and opinion, to come forward to support and cooperate in all these nation-building activities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our missions abroad are actively engaged in promoting our national interest and in projecting the true image of Bangladesh. Our foreign policy remains geared to the demands of our time. A major thrust is aggressive economic diplomacy with special focus in a “Look-East” policy. Friendship with all our neighbors on the basis of mutual interest, understanding and reciprocity remains a fundamental charge. Bangladesh has always been committed to promoting harmonization in our region and particularly to focus on factors that unite rather than divide us. Despite vicissitudes we are committed to faster regional cooperation where aim is to bring about qualitative changes in the lives of all South Asian People.
As always a key element of foreign policy remains pursuit of a policy of mutual friendship with all our neighbors. As an active member of SAARC, Bangladesh has been playing an important role in creating an atmosphere of congeniality, friendship and cooperation in the South Asia.
We have a large number of non-resident Bangladeshis all over the globe. They are our envoys of goodwill and friendship abroad. On this glorious occasion, I call upon them to redouble their efforts to project and promote Bangladesh and especially its socio-economic development. Your contribution is invaluable in our nation building tasks. It’s my hope that we will jointly rise above political affiliations in promoting our common objective.
On this joyful day, let us together renew our pledge to build a strong and prosperous Bangladesh.
I wish all Bangladeshis peace and prosperity.
M. Morshed Khan, MP
(Foreign Minister of Bangladesh)
