Dhaka, Sept 21 (bdnews24.com) – Lebanon has welcomed Bangladesh's willingness to participate in the expanded UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).
Both the countries discussed the possible participation of the Bangladesh peacekeepers in the expanded UNIFIL when Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan met Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh of Lebanon Wednesday in New York in the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to a message received here Thursday.
Both the leaders discussed the recent situation in southern Lebanon, especially the post-ceasefire developments.
Morshed Khan praised the resilience of the Lebanese people in countering the Israeli aggression with a lot of dignity and pride.
He also mentioned that the Lebanese people were able to thwart the aggression by remaining united and steadfast.
He expressed sympathy for the people of Lebanon and the loss of life as well as damage to property and infrastructure and mentioned that Bangladesh was prepared to assist Lebanon in its post conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
The Lebanese Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings and gratitude of the Lebanese Prime Minister to Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia for her unwavering support during the recent crisis and for the humanitarian assistance that the Bangladesh government had sent for the Lebanese people.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Morshed Khan attended a Ministerial Meeting of the D-8 countries, hosted by Indonesia – the current Chair of the Group.
Foreign Ministers of D-8 member countries including those from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran and Turkey participated in the meeting.
The Ministers discussed the implementation of the Preferential Trade Agreement that the D-8 member countries signed this year.
Morshed Khan, during his deliberation, proposed the relaxation of visa requirements for the citizens of the D-8 member countries. He also suggested that the civil aviation authorities of the member states meet to consider better connectivity among the D-8 capitals.
Morshed Khan also emphasized the importance of debt relief and increase of development assistance to facilitate development efforts in the D-8 countries.
bdnews24.com/1840 hrs
