Ministerial meeting in Paris lauds Bangladesh’s peacekeeping contribution

Bangladesh’s role in the UN peacekeeping missions particularly in the French-speaking countries has been lauded at a ministerial meeting in Paris.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 27 Oct 2016, 05:58 PM
Updated : 27 Oct 2016, 05:58 PM

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali attended the meeting on Thursday at the invitation of his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault.

The Bangladesh embassy in Paris said UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Harvey Ladsus, “highly praised” the Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed in the Francophone missions. French and Canadian foreign ministers also praised Bangladesh’s contribution.

Ladsus particularly applauded Bangladesh’s efforts to learn French language to better perform their duties in the Francophone areas.

France hosted the conference with an aim to strengthen the peacekeeping mechanism in the French-speaking environment.

Some 60 countries and international organisations including 20 ministerial delegations took part in the conference.

Bangladesh foreign minister reiterated Dhaka’s commitment “to remain one of the first responders to the UN’s call for troop and police”.

He highlighted the efforts of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in ensuring sustained peace in the conflict affected areas.

He, however, underscored the need for intelligence, modern technologies, and advanced equipment to serve the peacekeepers’ vital interest on the ground, particularly to enhance their capacity for maintaining peace, protecting civilians and ensuring their own safety and security.

Ali also highlighted Bangladesh’s commitment to increase women’s participation in the UN peacekeeping missions in the coming days, according to the statement.

After the meeting, he had a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart when both sides expressed “satisfaction” over the current level of cooperation. They also assured each other of further engagement on the issues of mutual interests.

British Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN Joice Anelay also met foreign minister Ali on the sidelines of the conference.