– says U.S. State Department’s senior official
Washington D.C., 16 December 2021
Today (16 December), the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC has celebrated the 50th Victory Day of Bangladesh with due respect and enthusiasm. The day’s program started at 05:00 am by joining the live telecast of the oath-taking ceremony administered by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Embassy officials also took the oath together with the prime minister and the whole nation.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M. Shahidul Islam, along with the Bangladeshi diplomats and members of the staff of the Embassy, officially hoisted the national flag of Bangladesh in the Embassy premises. Earlier, the Ambassador placed a floral wreath at the bust of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The messages on the occasion of the victory day from President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam were read out by the senior officers of the Embassy.
In the second part of the program held in the evening, after playing the national anthems of Bangladesh and the United States, Bangladesh Ambassador and the Guest of Honour, Dean Thompson, US State Department’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, delivered their speeches.
Ambassador M Shahidul Islam, in his welcome remarks, recalled with profound reverence the greatest Bengali of all time and the founding Father of Bangladesh Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the entire nation in the emergence of an independent and sovereign Bangladesh. He also paid deep homage to three million martyrs for their supreme sacrifices and two hundred thousand women dishonored during the Liberation War.
“We share the same vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-pacific region. The Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is willing to work closely with the Biden administration by setting aside any differences – if there is any. I believe our countries will be able to strengthen and advance the relationship further in the spirit of friendship and partnership,” Ambassador Shahidul Islam said.
The U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Dean Thompson, said, “in the coming year 2022, the USA and Bangladesh will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties. As we look forward to that important milestone, I am pleased and proud of the progress US-Bangladesh relationship made over the last 50 years.” “A regional leader and an economic force in South Asia, as Bangladesh continues an impressive journey, let us work together to realize many opportunities in the next 50 years our partnership will surely bring,” he also said.
The day’s program ended with a pleasant cultural soiree. The Embassy family members, Bangladesh community members and State Department representatives performed at the event.
