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She addresses the Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue in South Africa
Published : 25 Aug 2023, 02:12 AM
Sheikh Hasina has called upon the BRICS group of nations to emerge as the lighthouse of the multi-polar world and be an inclusive platform responding to the needs of the time.
"We need BRICS as a lighthouse in a multi-polar world. We hope to see BRICS emerge as an inclusive platform responding to our times. We must prove to our children and youth that our nations may suffer, but will never be defeated," she said on Thursday.
The prime minister was delivering a speech on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the New Development Bank of BRICS at Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) comprising representatives from 70 countries at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also spoke at the dialogue.
During the BRICS Plus Dialogue, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo exchanged pleasantries with Hasina, the BSS reported.
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, among others, also exchanged pleasantries with the premier.
The prime minister also joined a photo session with the heads of state and government who arrived in Johannesburg to attend the 15th BRICS Summit.
"We should say 'no' to artificial choices and divisions being thrown at us. We must reject attempts to weaponise universal norms and values. We need to stop the cycle of sanctions and counter-sanctions," she said.
She said all must speak out against threats, provocations and commission of war.
"I keep calling for channelling resources from the dangerous arms race to global public goods. We need to take responsibility for peace, justice and stability around the world," she said.
Together, all must continue to seek every one's dues for international financing and technologies and need to unite around climate justice, migrants' rights, digital equity and debt sustainability, she added.
"We must preserve the rules-based multilateral trading system with scope for using our own currencies.”
The prime minister arrived in Johannesburg on Aug 22 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of the current BRICS Chair Ramaphosa.
South Africa is hosting the historic 15th Summit of BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending the BRICS summit.
Quoting Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from his speech at the UNGA, Hasina said, "For us in the emerging world, ... we must have faith in ourselves and in our capacity ...to fulfil our destiny and to build for ourselves a better future."
The message he Bangabandhu conveyed 50 years ago still rings true, she said.
The premier thanked Ramaphosa for his invitation, saying, "I feel a personal attachment to South Africa having enjoyed the affection and blessings of President Mandela. I recall his joining our celebration for the 25th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence in 1997."'
Like Mandela, Bangladesh's Father of the Nation Bangabandhu lived a life of sacrifice for his nation, she said, adding that he spent more than 13 years in prison to secure the people's right of self-determination.
In 1974, at the UN General Assembly, Bangabandhu condemned Apartheid as a crime against humanity and called for the decolonisation of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Palestine, she said.
She said Bangladesh joined the BRICS Outreach to reaffirm our solidarity with the Global South following Bangabandhu’s legacy. “We also maintain a spirit of friendship to all nations of the world, with malice towards none."
The lesson all take from the global health, cost-of-living and climate crises is that none of us is secure until everyone is, she said.
