PM Giving Top Priority to National Interests on Global Stage: Mahdi Amin

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had a busy first day during his New York visit to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Taking part in 10 important programmes throughout the day, he highlighted Bangladesh’s interests on various issues, including the Rohingya crisis, regional cooperation, development, trade and bilateral relations. Prime Minister’s Adviser and Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson Mahdi Amin said these programmes clearly demonstrated the priority given to the interests of the people and the dignity of the country on the global stage.

Mahdi Amin made the remarks at a press briefing held at the Diplomat Center of the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York at 7:00pm local time on Tuesday. He said 12 programmes had been scheduled for the Prime Minister on the first day. Due to time constraints, he could not directly participate in two programmes. He personally attended the remaining 10 programmes.

The Prime Minister took part in a series of programmes from morning until night. At the beginning of the day, he attended a special breakfast hosted at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General, accompanied by his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman. Heads of state and government and their spouses from various countries were present. Later, the Prime Minister attended the opening and plenary sessions of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tarique Rahman also held several meetings on regional cooperation on the first day. During discussions with Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Maldives Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef, emphasis was placed on increasing cooperation in regional connectivity, people-to-people relations, tourism, education and health.

The Prime Minister also held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mahdi Amin said the meeting was cordial and friendly. Erdogan congratulated the Prime Minister on Bangladesh’s electoral success and invited him to visit Türkiye. The two sides also discussed various aspects of expanding the existing relations between the two countries.

During the meeting with the Prime Minister of Haiti, the two sides discussed the country’s ongoing security and law-and-order situation. Bangladesh’s long experience in UN peacekeeping operations was highlighted during the meeting. The two government leaders also exchanged views on how Bangladesh’s peacekeeping experience could be utilised in Haiti’s situation.

The Rohingya crisis received particular attention in the first day’s programmes. The Prime Minister held separate meetings with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop. The discussions highlighted the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of more than one million Rohingyas taking shelter in Bangladesh. Emphasis was placed on a more effective role by the international community in finding a sustainable solution to the crisis.

Important discussions were also held on development cooperation. During a meeting with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, the Prime Minister discussed various development priorities of Bangladesh, including education, health, employment, investment, trade, economic reforms and budget support. The meeting also discussed increasing World Bank support for the country’s development projects.

Bangladesh’s interests in the technology sector were also raised. Although the Prime Minister could not directly attend the meeting with Meta due to time constraints, a high-level delegation nominated by him participated in it. Discussions there covered various issues, including Bangladesh’s large number of social media users, the security of digital platforms, and the expansion of technology and online businesses.

Towards the end of the first day, the Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, attended a dinner hosted at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. The dinner was organised in honour of world leaders who came to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly session.

Mahdi Amin said Bangladesh’s national interests had been given the highest priority in the Prime Minister’s New York visit programme. Advancing the interests of the people by resolving the Rohingya crisis, increasing regional cooperation, strengthening development partnerships and highlighting Bangladesh’s position internationally are among the key objectives of the visit.

He further said various aspects of Bangladesh’s diplomatic and economic interests had been highlighted together in the first day’s programmes. Discussions with international partners would continue in the subsequent programmes, keeping these issues in focus.