Bangladeshi expatriates celebrated their country’s Independence Day on Wednesday. Expats from across the Kingdom gathered at the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah to take part in the event in traditional attire.
Participants sung the national anthem in the presence of Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh’s ambassador, and embassy officials. Messages from the country’s president, prime minister, foreign minister and state minister for foreign affairs were read out, followed by a short speech by Islam.
Community members paid tribute to “the father of the nation,” Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose unparalleled leadership inspired people to fight for the independence of Bangladesh.
“Independence is the Bangladeshi people’s biggest achievement,” said Islam. “In order to uphold our history of liberation, we must build a Bangladesh free of corruption, bad governance, terrorism, hunger and poverty.”
The ambassador thanked Bangladeshi expats for aiding the economic development of their country by sending remittances through banking channels.
“Bangladesh will soon occupy a top position in the world arena,” he said. “We will soon witness a ‘golden Bengal’ through revolutionary digitalization.”
Ambassador Islam and his wife Shanaz Islam hosted a reception at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh on Wednesday evening.
High-ranking officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and departments, members of the diplomatic corps, local journalists, business leaders and local Bangladeshis attended the reception.
A 92-page souvenir was also published to mark the occasion.
-Arab News
