NEW YORK, Sept 24 (NNN-BSS) — US president Barak Obama on Friday congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for Bangladesh’s achievements in attaining UN-set Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that earned the South Asian nation the special UN award.
“I congratulate you,” Prime Minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told BSS quoting the US president as telling the Bangladesh premier at a reception hosted in honour of the world leaders joining the UN General Assembly in New York by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Obama also appreciated Sheikh Hasina for her leadership in spearheading the campaign for achieving the MDG within the UN set deadlines of 2015 while he congratulated her as Bangladesh received the MDG Award particularly for reducing child mortality rate in Bangladesh.
Officials familiar with the meeting said, the US president looked very warm and cordial as he approached the Bangladesh premier to congratulate her, when Sheikh Hasina invited him to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.
Ahead of the reception the prime minister held several crucial bilateral talks with her counterparts and senior government leaders of the Netherlands, Denmark, Malaysia, and Myanmar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly alongside joining the general debate of the 65th UN General Assembly.
Officials familiar with the engagements said all the heads of governments and government leaders also congratulated her on Bangladesh’s MDG achievements under her leadership while Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen saying “Bangladesh is on the right track”.
He said Denmark would enhance its support and financial assistance for Bangladesh for endevour in achieving the MDG goals but would like to move on to “business partnership” from “development partnership” in view of Bangladesh’s rapid development in trade and economic sectors.
The officials said climate change appeared a major issue in all the bilateral talks while the Danish premier agreed with Sheikh Hasina that the last COP 15 climate conference could not yield the expected results and moreover the developed nations also did little in fulfilling whatever the committed in the climate meet though one year had already exhausted since the summit.
But Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh took a “stand alone” policy caring less about the external adaptation funds as it created an own “Adaptation Fund” to negate the onslaughts of the climatic phenomenon while it welcomed developed nations contribution to the fund.
“But the fact remains that we need resources to negate the climate change impacts,” she said.
During talks with the Netherlands Prime Minister Dr Jan Peter Balkenende, Sheikh Hasina sought the Dutch supports for continued dredging of major Bangladesh rivers to stop excessive flooding and face the impacts of Himalayan glacier melting negating the impacts of global warming.
The Bangladesh premier also sought Dutch assistance for land reclamation in river banks and coastlines through sharing the experience and expertise of the Netherlands and halt the river erosion and expressed Bangladesh’s interest to buy more Dutch dredgers as the ones procured earlier were giving good services.
Myanmar foreign minister Nyan Win also called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister during the day when Sheikh Hasina categorically said “in the spirit of good neighbourly relations” the Myanmar government should take back the remaining Rohingya refugees who were already cleared by them for repatriation.
She also noted that Dhaka-Yangon ties took a “new trajectory” since her government took over more than one and half years ago and expected it to be enhanced in coming days with increased connectivity and particularly through construction of the tri-nation road links involving Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.
Prime Minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the day-long hectic engagements also included a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd. Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak when they talked about issues of bilateral issues.
She also joined a reception hosted by US first lady Michelle Obama in honour of the high-profile women dignitaries joining the 65th UNGA session.
Time magazine’s top contributor on political issues Ishan Tharoor took an extensive interview of the premier on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Earlier in the morning, Sheikh Hasina joined the general debate of UN General Assembly that began Friday with the opening statement of secretary general Ban-Ki Moon saying the “great goals” of the world could only be achieved when the international community pulled together through the United Nations to secure a better future for all.
The prime minister’s son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed and his wife Kristine Overmire Wazed, her niece Azmina Siddique also accompanied Sheikh Hasina along with Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN Dr Abdul Momen in the general assembly debate.
The foreign minister, ambassador at large M Ziauddin and the permanent representative to the UN assisted the prime minister in her bilateral talks. — NNN-BSS