Hasina congratulates Boris Johnson, hopes to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh-UK ties together

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has congratulated her new British counterpart Boris Johnson and said she is looking forward to working closely with him.

In a message, Hasina also expected to celebrate on a "grand scale", the 50 years of Bangladesh's independence and Bangladesh-UK diplomatic relations in 2021.

“Please accept my heartiest congratulations and that of the government and the people of Bangladesh, on your assumption of the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland,” read the congratulatory message to Johnson.

“Your appointment as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a testimony to the confidence and trust of the British people in your leadership to take your country to newer heights of unity, prosperity and dynamism,” she added.

She continued: “In Bangladesh, we fondly recall your visit in February 2018. We continue to count on your personal commitment and UK’s global leadership in ensuring Myanmar’s accountability for atrocities committed on Rohingya minorities and their early and sustained return to ancestral home in Myanmar in full dignity, rights and security.”

File Photo: Boris Johnson met Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka during his Bangladesh visit in February, 2018.

The prime minister also said Bangladesh and the United Kingdom enjoy a special relationship deeply rooted in shared values of democracy, secularism, and the common good of the very vibrant Bangladesh- British Diaspora in the UK.

“We in Bangladesh recall in deep gratitude the support of the then Conservative Government of Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath extended to our Father of the Nation and my beloved father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the people of Bangladesh during our War of Liberation in 1971,” she said.

"I look forward to celebrating on a grand scale, 50 years of our glorious independence and Bangladesh-UK diplomatic relations in 2021, and working closely with you in further deepening our political, economic and strategic partnerships.”

Hasina wished Johnson "the very best of health, happiness, and continued success in this high responsibility and continued peace, progress and prosperity to the people of the United Kingdom."