Govt working to further strengthen country’s democracy: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said her government has been striving for further flourishing the country’s democratic environment.

“The government has been working on strengthening further the country’s democratic environment and institutions concerned,” she said when visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at her official residence, Gonobhaban, in the capital city.

As the Norwegian Minister Huitfeldt talked about the issue of next election, the prime minister said that the Election Commission which conducts the polls is completely an independent institution.

PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newspersons after the meeting.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh remains committed to building a peaceful, just and inclusive society.

Mentioning that Bangladesh’s democracy suffered setbacks when the military rulers captured power, she said, “They (the military rulers) ascended to power using guns and then descended on politics by forming political parties.”

The Norwegian minister highly appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s generosity in sheltering 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas.

“We know Rohingyas are creating pressure on the economy of Bangladesh,” she continued.

The Norwegian minister said that the existing cooperation between Bangladesh and Norway will further be strengthened in future.

About Covid-19 pandemic, Sheikh Hasina said, her government has successfully faced the pandemic alongside keeping roll the wheels of the country’s economy.

Recalling the support of Norway during the Liberation War and Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s post-war nation building efforts, she said, “Since then, Norway remained our closed and valued development, trade and investment partner.”

At the outset of the meeting, they exchanged greetings marking the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

PMO Senior Secretary Md Tofazzal Hossain Miah and Norwegian ambassador to Bangladesh Espen Rikter-Svendsen were present.

A new chapter of cooperation on multilateral sectors of mutual benefits that included energy and technology between Bangladesh and Denmark has started marking the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

The observation came when visiting Crown Princess of Denmark Mary Elizabeth Donaldson and Danish Minister for Development and Cooperation Flemming Moller Mortensen paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence.

The Danish Minister said that cooperation between the two countries on various sectors that included energy and technology would further be strengthened in the coming days.

Various issues such as Rohingya crisis, climate change, and women empowerment were discussed in the meeting.

The Crown Princess of Denmark apprised the Prime Minister that they would visit Rohingya camps at Cox’s Bazar.

The Danish Minister commended Bangladesh’s huge development under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina and described Bangladesh as a development miracle.

“I visited Bangladesh 39 years back. Huge changes have been happened in the country in terms of development,” Karim said quoting the Danish Minister as saying.

To this regard, the Danish Minister said, Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s guidance has earned high level of respect in the international community.

Flemming Moller Mortensen mentioned that businessmen and entrepreneurs of Denmark are now interested to invest in various sectors of Bangladesh.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister described Denmark as a development partner of Bangladesh.

Noting that Bangladesh is a vulnerable country to climate change, Sheikh Hasina said, the government has formed a climate trust fund and some special programmes have been taken to face the adverse impact of climate change.

On the Rohingya issue, the Prime Minister said her government has developed Bhashanchar as an inhabitable one as part of the move to shift Rohingyas there.

PMO Senior Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh Winnie Estrup Petersen were present.

The Denmark Crown Princess Mary arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning on a three-day tour to visit Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and climate vulnerable community in the Sundarbans area.