Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday said that Bangladesh-India Maitri (friendship) is “higher than Himalayas, deeper than ocean.”
He was speaking at the award giving ceremony of the Maitri Diwas (Friendship Day) Logo and Backdrop Design Competition at the State Guest House Sugandha in Dhaka.
High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami pointed out that Bangladesh-India friendship is “unique” and celebration of Maitri Diwas had projected “our friendship successfully across the world”.
The foreign secretary Momen said: “Whenever we talk about Bangladesh-India friendship, I remember the quote of world famous artist Vincent Van Gogh which says, “Close friends are truly life’s treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone”.”
“Bangladesh-India friendship is deeply rooted in our shared history. The blood of over 18 thousand Indians, mingled with the millions of our own people, culminated in Bangladesh’s independence, and laid the basis of our special friendship/ Maitree,” he said.
“India, being the trusted friend, recognised Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign state on 06 December 1971, even before Bangladesh was completely liberated from the Pakistani forces. On that note, Bangladesh deeply appreciates and expresses gratitude for the unwavering support and cooperation extended to Bangladesh by India during the nine-month long struggle of the country and its people for independence in 1971.”
During the state visit paid by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Bangladesh on 26-27 March 2021, it was decided by both the Prime Ministers to declare and jointly celebrate 06 December 2021 as ‘Maitri Diwas/Friendship Day’ with a view to demonstrating that the emotional bonds stemming from the invaluable contribution of India in the Liberation War of Bangladesh which remain a “dominant factor” in Bangladesh-India relations.
Both the countries have taken up yearlong programmes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations on various other fronts.
The Maitri Diwas/Friendship Day was celebrated in 18 select cities of the globe along with Dhaka and New Delhi on 6 December.
Apart from that, many more joint programs like Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition, unveiling postage stamps commemorating 50 years of Bangladesh-India friendship, exchange of visits by war veterans, exchange of visits of naval vessels, sporting events, cultural events are also being organized, as part of yearlong joint celebration. “Through these programs, Bangladesh and India have projected the good neighbourhood to other countries in the world, which has become a role model for all countries,” the foreign secretary said.
“The countries are connected by Maitri Setu and two people are connected with Maitri Express.”
He said over the years, Bangladesh-India relations have seen “transformative changes reaching to new heights”.
“In the past decade, we have experienced remarkable progress in a wide range of areas. Many new initiatives are being added to our multifaceted cooperation on a regular basis. The two countries have been engaging with each other, even at the highest level when the whole world is stalled because of COVID pandemic,” he said.
“As we may recall that the President and the Prime Minister of India paid State Visits to Bangladesh in the same year 2021, which is an unprecedented example of engagement, goodwill and friendship. Rightly indeed, the current phase of our relations is called the ‘Golden Chapter’, a chapter which holds immense possibilities for the future,” said the foreign secretary.
