‘Youth need to know sacrifices of forebears’

Premier Rajapaksa greeting his Bangladeshi counterpart

PM in Bangladesh

In the 21st Century, with the great aspirations for Asian prosperity, the new generations needed to be aware of the countless sacrifices made by their fore-fathers to achieve freedom, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday at an event celebrating the Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh.

“As a neighbour and a close friend, Sri Lanka stands side by side with Bangladesh to achieve greater freedom and prosperity. Our objectives of economic transformation, eradication of poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals remain key priorities in the middle of great challenges. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of Bangladesh, said “Bangladesh is fertile and endowed with plenty. Few countries in the world have the kind of fertile land that we have.” The geographical locations of our two countries provide ample opportunities for us to enhance closer maritime, shipping, trade and people-to-people contacts,” he said

Premier Rajapaksa said that Bangladesh is considered an emerging economic power houses in South Asia and is an important trading and investment partner for Sri Lanka.

“The great strides Bangladesh has made in the field of agriculture attracts great attention in Sri Lanka. In addition to playing an active role through the SAARC Agriculture Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh continues to provide training and capacity building for our institutions. I seek your indulgence to share closer cooperation in this field. The inspiring journey that the people of Bangladesh had undertaken from poverty and natural disasters in the past half century is a testament to a prosperous nation in the making. It is in this backdrop, I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt compliments and sincere and warm wishes to you, Madam Prime Minister, your Government, and the people of Bangladesh,” he said.