Bangladesh to grow by maintaining friendly ties with all: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on members of the armed forces, that emerged through the Liberation War, to continue serving Bangladesh with the true spirit of patriotism.

She made the call to the graduates of the National Defence Course 2020 and Armed Forces War Course via video conference on Sunday.

The prime minister thanked the armed forces personnel for putting their lives at risk to help the people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also stressed the foreign policy principle of "Friendship towards all, malice towards none", introduced by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that continues to shape the country's diplomatic ties with other nations.

"We have maintained friendship with everyone. The most important thing is that we need investment for the development of the nation. Therefore, we nurture friendship with everyone so that we can get the assistance and technological support from all corners to ensure our country's development."

"We will always maintain friendly relations with everyone. We don't want war but only peace. But we must be trained, capable and prepared to resist and hit back when someone attacks our sovereignty."

Highlighting Bangladesh's relations with neighbouring Myanmar in the light of the Rohingya refugee crisis, Hasina said, "We have never engaged in a conflict with them [Myanmar], but tried to find a solution through discussions and urged the international community to relieve us of this big burden."

“Therefore, I would expect that Bangladesh Armed Forces will always be prepared to ensure the protection of the country and region and also ensure global peace. We are now respected globally for our endeavours."