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Abida Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh |
On this auspicious occasion of the 49th Independence and National Day of Bangladesh on 26 March 2020, I cordially convey our warmest greetings and warm felicitations to the friendly people and the Government of the Republic of Korea as well as to the expatriate Bangladeshis living in this country.
We laud the commendable measures undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Korea to fight against COVID-19 pandemic and as part of its “Social Distancing” campaign, we have cancelled the celebration part of this occasion. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the residents of this country good health, peace and prosperity in the days ahead.
On this historic day, I pay my deep homage to the 3 million valiant martyrs and all the freedom fighters of our War of Liberation in 1971.
I pay great tribute to the memory of the Greatest Bangalee of all times, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who changed the history of the Bengali nation and the world; created an independent and sovereign Bangladesh in 1971. This year bears a significant importance for Bangladesh - as we are celebrating the ‘Mujib Year’ (17 March 2020-17 March 2021) at home and abroad in commemoration of the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation.
It is a unique opportunity for the young generation of the Republic of Korea to learn about the life and works of Bangabandhu and contributions in building a free, fair and progressive society.
Bangabandhu dreamt of ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal)-a hunger and poverty-free, secular and prosperous country.
The eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now in her third consecutive term as Head of Government and in total the fourth, with her visionary and dynamic leadership, is taking the country through an impressive socio-economic developmental journey to –translate the dream of the Father of the Nation - ‘Shonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal) into a reality. Bangladesh is already a lower-middle-income country has qualified to be a developing country in 2024 and has a ‘Vision 2041’ of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to be a developed country by 2041.
Inspired by his ideology, Bangladesh becomes a democratic, secular and progressive nation in the world.
Towards this development journey of Bangladesh, the Republic of Korea –has been an important partner. Other than commonality in our history of the struggle for independence and language movement, we also share similar democratic values and principles. During the past four decades, our relationship has been built around the areas of trade, investment, manpower, cultural and education cooperation, human resources, technical and technological cooperation, and so on.
It is also heartening to witness that the Bangladesh-Republic of Korea bilateral relation is becoming closer and friendlier day by day. The year 2019 marked the visit of the Korean Premier long after 17 years which created positive momentum in our bilateral relationships. We firmly believe that being one of the leading investors and valuable development partners, the Republic of Korea will continue its support for the development of Bangladesh.
On this glorious occasion, I earnestly hope that our partnership with the Republic of Korea will continue to grow and will be further strengthened in the days ahead.
Long Live Bangladesh
Long Live the Republic of Korea
Long Live Bangladesh-Republic of Korea friendship
Abida Islam
Ambassador of Bangladesh
