17 December 2020, Dhaka/Port Louis:

A newly named street, ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Street’, named in honour of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was jointly inaugurated by Dr. the Hon Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government & Disaster Risk Management of Mauritius and Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP, Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh (Virtually). Organized by the Bangladesh High Commission, Port Louis, Mauritius and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh on 17 December 2020, both the Ministers attended the event digitally. Bangladesh High Commissioner to Mauritius Ms. Rezina Ahmed made the welcome remarks. 

The High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Mauritius, Ms. Rezina Ahmed, in her welcome address, mentioned that the befitting honour that the Government of Mauritius bestowed upon the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would bind the two countries together forever.

In a video message, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina said that the ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Street’ symbolizes the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Mauritius. She also conveyed that both the countries stand committed to walking the path together, as it is said in Mauritian language, “la main dans la main”- (hand in hand), to take the relationship to a newer height. 

Dr. the Hon. Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government & Disaster Risk Management of Mauritius asserted that the Mauritian Government and the people are happy and proud to dedicate a street after the name of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh. He also mentioned about the exemplary contribution of the Bangladeshi expatriate workers to the continuous development of Mauritius.

Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, MP thanked the Government and the people of Mauritius for their generous participation in the celebration of the Birth Centenary of Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He highlighted that, with the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is moving forward steadily to becoming a developed country by 2041 to fulfil the dream of Bangabandhu’s ‘Shonar Bangla’. He also stressed on increasing employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius along with further strengthening the bilateral relations.

Hon’ble Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Mr. Imran Ahmad, MP expressed gratitude to the Government of Mauritius for naming a street after Bangabandhu, which would lead the existing warm relations between the two friendly nations to a new horizon. He also referred to the relentless hard work of the Bangladeshi expatriates who contribute to the economy of both the countries. He specially thanked the Mauritian Government for looking after the Bangladeshi workers during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of the ceremony, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, delivered a vote of thanks to the host Government, who put in their all out efforts in materializing the naming of the street. He underscored that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Mauritius moved one step further by this noble gesture of the Mauritian Government.

In the program in Port Louis, Mr. Mahfooz Moussa Cadersaib, Lord Mayor of the City Council of Port Louis, local MPs, members of the Diplomatic Corps, civil society, Bangladeshi expatriates were present. From Bangladesh, Hon’ble Mayor, Dhaka South City Corporation; Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary), Chief Executive, National Implementation Committee for the Celebration of the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; Curator, Bangabandhu Memorial Trust; and Senior Officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were virtually present. In the end, coloured balloons with the logo of the ‘Mujib Borsho’ were released.