Bahrain, 07 May 2023:

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Manama, Bahrain celebrated the 52^nd Anniversary of the Great Independence and National Day of Bangladesh on Sunday, 07 May 2023 at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel in a grand fashion with due dignity as well as great ardour, festivity, and patriotism, where the Embassy’s Counsellor & Head of Chancery, Mr. A. K. M. Mohiuddin Kayes was the event’s master of ceremony under the guidance of Ambassador Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam. The event’s Chief Guest was the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ambassador Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Hundreds of other invited high-level dignitaries were present at the event as well, notably, the Second Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives, MP Ahmed Abdulwahid Qarata, members of both Shura Council and Council of Representatives, senior Bahrain Government and Foreign Ministry officials, heads and deputies of many Diplomatic Missions as well as other officers, representatives of UN and other international organisations, prominent Bahraini businesspersons, presidents of universities, journalists, teachers and students of Bangladesh School Bahrain, and of course, selected members of the Bangladeshi community in Bahrain as well as other eminent personalities. The reception formally commenced with the playing of the national anthems of both Bangladesh and Bahrain by the police band, followed by welcoming remarks delivered by Ambassador Dr. Islam and a short speech by the Chief Guest.

In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Dr. Islam respectfully remembered the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all the brave freedom fighters who were martyred in the Great Liberation War in 1971, and greeted the distinguished guests. He then praised the leadership of His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Ambassador proudly stated that just 52 years after the nation’s independence, Bangladesh has achieved the fame of half trillion-dollar economy and is one of the top troop contributors to United Nations’ peacekeeping operations around the world. Among several mega projects of Bangladesh, the construction of the fully self-financed 6.15 km-long Padma Multipurpose Bridge was also completed last year. He also said that many more mega projects are currently being undertaken by the nation to further solidify its progress towards becoming a fully-developed country. Bangladesh, under the able leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has become a role model of development to the world today.

Ambassador Dr. Islam also expressed his appreciation that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bahrain were established by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and in this context, he talked about the similarities between the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of building a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041 and Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, and wished for the full cooperation of the Bahrain Government to continue working towards further strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries. Afterwards, the Chief Guest began his speech by thanking the Ambassador for inviting him to the reception and then proceeded to mentioned the strong friendly relations between Bangladesh and Bahrain, and expressed his hope that these relations will be further strengthened in the coming days.

The event then featured a cultural segment consisting of three mesmerising dance performances by the students of Bangladesh School Bahrain to Deshi songs. Shortly after that, the Counsellor Mr. Kayes invited the Ambassador, the Chief Guest, the Second Deputy Speaker, Ambassadors and CDAs to take part in the cake-cutting ceremony. Finally, the invited guests were requested to have dinner consisting of traditional Bangladeshi cuisine.