Address of HE Mr. Ashud Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Greece on Bangladesh’s National Day in Athens
Hon’ble Member of Parliament Mr. Kostos Georgios, President of Bangladesh Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group,
Hon’ble Member of Parliament Mr. Georgiadis Stamatis, Vice President of Bangladesh Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group,
Excellencies, Members of the diplomatic corpse.
Senior Officials of the Govt of the Hellenic Republic.
My dear Bangladeshi compatriots.Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Assalamu Alaikum, Καλησπέρα σας and Good evening to you all.
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you in this auspicious occasion of celebrating the 53rd anniversary of independence and National Day of Bangladesh. Thank you very much for joining us.
On this day, I would like to pay my rich tributes to the memory of the Father of the Bengali Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who played the central leadership role in our 24 years long struggle for freedom and self-determination. I would also like to pay my deep homage to the valiant freedom fighters, who made supreme sacrifices for the cause of our independence.
Ladies & Gentleman,
Under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is marching ahead and has become one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Over the last 53 years, Bangladesh has well positioned herself as a responsible and responsive country through its actions and contribution towards global peace and a rule based international order. A champion of economic development, social reform, women empowerment and disaster management, Bangladesh is going to graduate soon as a middle-income developing country. Currently Bangladesh is one of the largest readymade garment producers in the world. Our export items including leather, jute, pharmaceutical and electrical & electronic products have been well acclaimed all over the world.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Bangladesh and Greece enjoy excellent bilateral relations. Since the establishment of our diplomatic ties more than 50 years ago, both countries have set an example among the comity of nations of uninterrupted cooperation and friendship based on mutual respect, common values, historic and cultural commonalities and identical approach towards regional and international issues of common concern. Upcoming visit of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud to attend the 9th Our Ocean Conference is also a reflection of our commitment for a common cause.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on migration and mobility and the Agreement on the development of culture and education have widened the scope for further interactions and collaborations between our two friendly countries. We have identified Shipping as one of the thurst sectors for bilateral cooperation where we have huge opportunity to complement each other and be benefited from bilateral cooperation. We are working for signing a number of legal instruments in the subsectors of maritime training and education, seafarers’ employment, maritime transports and ship breaking and recycling for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Our two countries are poised to get further closer, overcoming the geographical distance by way of their growing interactions particularly between the two business peoples in the potential areas of trade, business and investment and undertaking a number of visits at different levels between the two countries. The Foreign Office Political Consultation at the Foreign Secretary level is also expected to be held this year to look into the possibility of further expansion of potential areas for cooperation.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
I would like to say a few words for our compatriots.
প্রিয় বাংলাদেশি ভাই ও বোনেরা,
আপনাদের সবাইকে মহান স্বাধীনতা দিবসের শুভেচ্ছা জানাচ্ছি। এই দিনে শ্রদ্ধার সাথে স্মরণ করছি হাজার বছরের শ্রেষ্ঠ বাঙ্গালী জাতির পিতা বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানকে। স্মরণ করছি ত্রিশ লক্ষ বীর শহীদদের। বঙ্গবন্ধু আমাদের স্বাধীন দেশ উপহার দিয়েছেন, সোনার বাংলার স্বপ্ন বাস্তবায়নের আইনি ভিত্তি দিয়েছেন কল্যানমুখী সংবিধান উপহার দিয়ে। তার সুযোগ্য কন্যা মাননীয় প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা সেই স্বপ্ন বাস্তবায়নের পথে দেশকে এগিয়ে নিয়ে যাচ্ছেন অপ্রতিরোধ্য গতিতে।
আসুন, ঐক্যবদ্ধ হয়ে আমরা মাননীয় প্রধানমন্ত্রীর হাতকে শক্তিশালী করি এবং দেশ গড়ার কাজে অবদান রাখার অঙ্গীকার করি।
Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentleman,
On a personal note, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you that I have come to the end of my tour of duty in Greece and I will be leaving Athens for Dhaka at the beginning of next month. My 3 and a half years stint in this beautiful Greece, the birthplace of Democracy and ancient civilization, will remain as an enjoyable experience to me and my family. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Greek government for its kind support and cooperation during my diplomatic assignment. I hope similar support will continue to be provided to my successor.
I would also like to thank you all my friends for your friendship and encouragement in successfully discharging my duty. I hope our paths will cross again someday somewhere and we will relish our good times together. In the meantime, I wish you all the best.
Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen,
Finally, I would like to thank you once again for your kind presence tonight.
Thank you all. Special thanks to the management of the Divani Caravel Hotel and my colleagues in the Embassy for making today’s programme a success.
Long live Bangladesh-Greece relations!!
Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ!
Joy Bangla!
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