On this auspicious occasion of the 37th anniversary of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh, I bring to the Government and the people of Pakistan the warm wishes of the Government and the people of Bangladesh.
I would like to extend my own greetings and felicitations to friends of Bangladesh, to those who are contributing to the Bangladesh-Pakistan relations in whatever capacities, and to fellow Bangladeshis living in Pakistan. I express my particular thanks to those who have sent messages of felicitations on this important occasion.
I would like to congratulate the people of Pakistan on the free and fair election held in February 2008. The election promises a new era of empowerment of people and strengthening of democratic institutions in Pakistan. I would like to convey our sincere best wishes for the success of these initiatives.
Bangladesh and Pakistan are bound by close ties of history, culture and tradition. The two countries have maintained warm and friendly relations over the years. In recent times, our relations received a fresh impetus through a number of visits at the level of Head of State and Head of Government.
The mechanisms such as the Foreign Secretary Level Consultations and Joint Economic Commission are making their mark in cementing our relations. Cooperation between our two countries has been growing steadily in various fields including trade, defence, education, and culture over the past few years.
The two countries share identical views on major international issues. This allows the diplomats and officials of our countries to interact and closely cooperate at the UN and other international and regional fora.
In SAARC, the two countries are making determined efforts to create a congenial atmosphere for development in South Asia in collaboration with other countries in the region, and to allow regional programmes and projects to complement national efforts, wherever possible.
Bangladesh and Pakistan have been maintaining excellent bilateral relations and have a tremendous potential to collaborate further to enhance bilateral trade and investment. The present volume of bilateral trade does not fully reflect the potential. We need to make determined efforts to realise the prospects and try to explore the possibilities of developing strategic business partnerships in various fields of mutual interest and for mutual benefit.
Bangladesh enjoys duty free access to European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for virtually all products including apparel. It also enjoys preferential access to the US market. Pakistan entrepreneurs can take advantage of this by setting up industries in Bangladesh either independently or in collaboration with Bangladeshi businessmen.
The improved business atmosphere, a skilled workforce, and assured market access for Bangladeshi products should encourage the Pakistani businessmen to take advantage of these opportunities. Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Business Council and the Chambers in both countries have a role in promoting trade and investments. Preferential treatment to products originating from the other country may be the first step towards creating a bilateral FTA. Elimination of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, and establishment of direct shipping also deserve due attention.
Beyond trade, the other most important agenda must be to enhance people-to-people contact. Better interaction among the students, professionals and professional bodies, researchers and scientific institutions, artistes, journalists and media people can play a significant role in taking forward our relations.
Bangladesh is an ardent believer in global peace and harmony, and adheres to the Universal Declaration for Human Rights. It is fully committed to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. The participation of Bangladesh as one of the largest contributors to the UN Peace Keeping Operations is a reflection of its commitment towards international peace and security. Bangladesh has been keeping friendly relations with all countries, especially with its neighbours.
Bangladesh strongly believes that SAARC, as a regional organisation, can significantly contribute to strengthening relations among the nations of South Asia. Bangladesh's determination and leadership to advance the causes of the least developed countries (LDCs) over the past decades has been widely acclaimed.
Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies among the developing countries. Despite the floods and cyclone Sidr, that devastated the country last year, Bangladesh is expected to achieve a growth rate above 6 percent in the current financial year. Poverty has been declining at an average percentage point a year since early 1990s and the country is moving towards attaining many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the recent years, the economic fundamentals have been generally sound. Per capita income of the country is rising steadily.
Foreign Exchange reserve has reached a satisfactory level. We have surplus in the balance of payments. Bangladesh has not defaulted on any of its loan commitment for almost two decades and is depending more and more on its own resources to finance development projects.
A vibrant civil society and a dynamic private sector characterises Bangladesh's determination to register economic development and social progress. In the last few decades, Bangladesh experienced a huge socio-economic transformation. Notable among them are the silent revolution of women empowerment, poverty alleviation and social development through micro-credit, spread of education, and better health care. The effective role of the NGOs and civil society in advancing the development agenda are being duly acknowledged. We have been able to contain the scourge of extremism to a great extent.
Present Non-party Caretaker Government of Bangladesh is entrusted with the task of holding a free and fair election. Steps to bring in necessary reforms are being taken by the Caretaker Government to create the right atmosphere. It includes institutional reforms such as the setting up of a strong and independent Election Commission, a truly independent Judiciary, and an efficient and impartial Public Service Commission. The Judiciary has been separated from the Executive and the Government has been supporting an extensive anti-corruption drive, spearheaded by the Anti Corruption Commission. Bringing in regulatory reforms is high in the agenda of the Government.
The present Government remains fully committed to holding a free and fair election by the year end and the Election Commission is working tirelessly to conduct the elections as per the roadmap announced. This, we hope, would strengthen democratic institutions further and give roots to the democratic practices we started internalising since the early nineties. We expect our democracy to benefit from these reforms, and would be able to produce a government focusing on pro-poor policies and balanced economic growth, and fully committed to the principles of good governance.
I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Government and the people of Pakistan for their friendship towards Bangladesh. I strongly believe that the bond of friendship that exists between the countries would be further strengthened in the days to come in the true spirit of mutual interest and benefit.
May Almighty Allah bless us all.