Bangladesh-UAE ties based on shared faith, traditions

As Bangladesh celebrates Victory Day, Muhammad Imran, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the UAE, has said it's a coincidence that both Bangladesh and the UAE started their journey as independent states in the same year. The United Arab Emirates emerged as an independent nation on December 2, 1971, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh an independent and sovereign state on December 16, in the same year.
"Both the countries were fortunate to have two great leaders of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as their founding fathers who united their countrymen and led them towards a brighter future with common aspiration for peace, progress and prosperity," said Imran.
"One of the prime objectives of the hard-earned independence was to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. During the last four and half decades, Bangladesh has faced manifold challenges, but people have always fought back to revert to the ideals and spirit of the War of Liberation," he added,
In the recent past, the country has changed every sphere of its national life. "The country has attained food-sufficiency producing 35 million tonnes of food in a year, sufficient to feed the entire 160 million people of the country."
Imran said that the agriculture based economy is being replaced by industrialisation and is now gradually moving towards a knowledge based economy to fast become a major destination of global IT outsourcing. "Today, there are more than 130 million subscribers of mobile phones in Bangladesh which is 82 per cent of total population. Around 50 million people have access to internet."
Vision 2021
The government of Bangladesh plans to transform the country into a middle-income, technologically advanced Digital Bangladesh, according to Imran. It has also set forth Vision 2041 and aims to take its place in the world stage as a developed country within another 20 years.
Elaborating on the international front, Imran said Bangladesh follows the foreign policy principle "friendship to all and malice towards none". Bangladesh has been playing a constructive role in promoting international peace and stability and remains deeply focused on sub-regional, regional and international issues apart from its bilateral engagements.
Ties with the UAE
Bangladesh attaches great importance to its relations with the UAE which is based on shared faith, culture and traditions, said Imran. "Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the UAE have grown steadily over the years and are being strengthened and diversified. Bangladeshi skilled and semi-skilled professionals contributed during the initial development phase of the new country, UAE."
Today, an estimated 700,000-strong Bangladeshi workforce in the UAE, he said. Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are also running various businesses here.
"The leaders of the UAE are carrying with them the visions of the founding fathers and continuing the development of the country," said Imran. "They have remained committed to build a better society and to uphold the ideals and principles of their ancestors."
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