Marking the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started the ‘Bangabandhu Lecture Series’.
As part of the continuous programme, the first lecture was held on Tuesday morning at the auditorium of the newly built Foreign Service Academy complex located inside the premises of State Guest House Sugandha in capital Dhaka.
At the function, the speakers compared Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with other famous leaders of the world and also mentioned that the world must be proud of such a great leader.
Former Finance Minister AMA Muhith presented the keynote paper at the inaugural lecture on the first day of the month of Victory focusing on life and legacy of Bangabandhu.
In the keynote paper titled, ‘A Great Man of the World, Our Own Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh,’ AMA Muhith described the history of Bangladesh, the life of Bangabandhu and his activities in the creation of Bangladesh.
The former Finance Minister, also the elder brother of Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, delivered his speech through a virtual conference and said Bangabandhu was a leader of the world and the world must be proud of him.
Foreign Minister, Dr AK Abdul Momen, also connected from his residence, said, "Today, we have started a historic event in the month of Victory."
The Foreign Minister said that Bangladesh today is a vibrant economy and a land of opportunities.
"We have to engage ourselves to achieve our goals in 2021, 2030 and 2041 and build a Sonar Bangla," Dr Momen said. He said that Bangladesh would like to share its stories of successes with the rest of the world.
The Foreign Minister said that peace is essential for development and reminded what is happening in Myanmar must stop.
Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi also took part in the virtual conference as a special guest. In his short speech, Dr Rizvi said, “Bangabandhu never compromised with development and he had always struggled for the benefit of common people.”
Diplomats from home and abroad, intellectuals, senior officials from public and private sectors also participated at the online conference. The programme was concluded with the vote of thanks by State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam.
Foreign Ministry officials said, the series of lectures will continue throughout the entire period of Bangabandhu's birth centenary and golden jubilee of independence. At least one lecture will be held every month in the country. Besides, embassies and missions of Bangladesh in different countries will also hold such programmes continuously.
They said Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Kumar Sen will present the keynote address of the second lecture. Professor Rehman Sobhan is expected to take part in the discussion.
It should be mentioned that after the Independence of Bangladesh, Sugandha became Gonobhaban housing the first Prime Minister, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from 1972 to 1974.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Bangabandhu Centre for Diplomatic Strategy and Research.
