Celebration of Bangladesh’s National and Independence Day in Athens- 2019
Bangladesh’s National and Independence Day has been celebrated with great enthusiasm in Athens, Greece. The celebration started on March 25th with the hoisting of the national flag by H.E. the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Greece Mr. Md. Jasim Uddin at the Bangladesh Embassy premises, and the reading of the messages sent by the Honorable President and the Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Special prayers for the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the martyrs killed in the war of liberation, and for the development and welfare of the country, as well as a traditional cultural program, followed. The celebration was attended by many members of the Bangladeshi community in Athens, guests,
In the evening of March 28, the Bangladesh Embassy hosted a gala reception at a central hotel in Athens. More than 250 dignitaries, including high government officials, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, academicians, personalities from business and media, representatives of think-tanks and of expatriate Bangladesh community, attended the reception.
In his welcome speech, Bangladesh Ambassador Mr. Md. Jasim Uddin said “On this day we pay homage to the Father of our Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who had inspired our people to fight for their freedom and independence. We also pay tribute to our martyrs and valiant freedom fighters who had made the supreme sacrifice during our war of Independence.” He also referred to the historic decision of celebrating the Bangladesh Genocide Memorial Day on March 25, and expressed the hope that the international community will recognize this day as such.
Speaking about the positive and cordial relations between Bangladesh and Greece, the Ambassador emphasized the close bilateral relations between the two countries which are celebrating the 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations that were established in March 1972, when Greece became one of the first countries to recognize
The special attraction of the event was a cultural performance presented by Bangladeshi artistes living in Greece who enthralled the audience with a number of classical Bangladeshi dance presentations. A buffet dinner with a variety of deshi cuisine dishes followed the event
The guests demonstrated a keen interest in Bangladesh related books displayed at the ‘Bangladesh Corner’ outside the reception hall. Special gifts were also presented to the guests, who highly appreciated the reception program.
The Independence Day of Bangladesh is a national holiday and commemorates the country’s declaration of independence from Pakistan in the late hours of 25 March 1971.
Photos: Akira Vassiliadis
