The UN Secretary General reiterated his continued support to Bangladesh

Today Sunday (February 26) the Permanent Mission of the United Nations in New York reported this information. In the meeting, the foreign minister applauded the Black Sea Grain initiative, which helps countries around the world to tackle their food crisis by importing fertilizers and grains.

Antonio Guterres said Latvia, Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands have sufficient reserves of fertilizer raw materials, which Bangladesh can consider importing at affordable prices. Thanking the Secretary General, the Foreign Minister assured that Bangladesh would consider utilizing this opportunity.

Appreciating the extraordinary development trend of Bangladesh under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Secretary General expressed hope that Bangladesh will achieve more success in the coming years, especially in achieving the SDGs. He also praised Bangladesh's consistent leadership in maintaining international peace and security as a country that sends top military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations.

The Foreign Minister and the Secretary General also discussed the Rohingya crisis and its possible solutions in view of the recent UN Security Council resolution on Myanmar. They emphasized the effective leadership of ASEAN in resolving the crisis. In this context, the Secretary-General commended the generosity of Bangladesh for providing shelter to 1.2 million Rohingya and reiterated the UN's support for the return of forcibly displaced Rohingya to their homeland Myanmar.

Prior to the meeting with the Secretary General, the Foreign Minister also held meetings with the President of the General Assembly, Saba Corresi, Under Secretary General of the Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs (DPPA) Rosemary DeCarlo and Under Secretary General of the Department of Peace Operations Japierre Lacroix.

During the meeting with the President of the General Assembly, the Foreign Minister discussed various matters of interest. In particular, he discussed with the President the proposal to establish a new ministerial forum by Bangladesh on South-South Cooperation. Thanking the Foreign Minister for the above initiatives, the President appreciated Bangladesh's extraordinary leadership, effective engagement and significant contribution in various UN processes in recent times and pledged to work together with Bangladesh.

In a meeting with the Under Secretary General of the Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs (DPPA), the Under Secretary General appreciated the important role of Bangladesh in 2022 when Bangladesh was the Chairman of the United Nations Peace Building Commission (PBC). During the meeting with the Under Secretary General of the Department of Peace Operations, the Under Secretary General welcomed the recently concluded bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and The Gambia for the joint deployment of peacekeepers in future UN peacekeeping missions. He assured that his department will encourage such initiatives, so that other countries can benefit from Bangladesh's long experience in peacekeeping operations. In this context Dr. Momen reiterated Bangladesh's continued commitment to UN peacekeeping operations and its readiness to provide more peacekeepers and equipment as needed.

Ambassador Mohammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, was present in the meetings along with the Foreign Minister.