India and Bangladesh celebrated Maitri Diwas at India Pavilion to mark 50 years of bilateral relations…reports Asian Lite News
Marking the 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh, the two countries celebrated Maitri Diwas or Friendship Day on Tuesday evening at the India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai. The celebrations signify an important milestone for India-Bangladesh partnership as it completes half-a-century and continue to strengthen, mature, and evolve as a model for bilateral relations for the entire region.
As part of the historic celebrations, the Pavilion organised various performances including folk songs and dance depicting the rich cultural heritage of the two countries. Consul General of India in Dubai along with his Bangladesh counterpart also attended the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy Commissioner-General for India at Expo 2020 Dubai said, “Over the last 50 years, the India-Bangladesh relationship has only strengthened, and socio-economic transformation of Bangladesh is an inspiration for the whole region.”
“Under the visionary leadership of the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh, the two countries are witnessing a golden era in the relationship, and we must continue to work together and make sure that this enormous goodwill is able to transform into more benefits for the people of India and Bangladesh”, said Dr. Puri.
“We must congratulate the UAE which is enabling the world to come together at Expo 2020 Dubai. It is a matter of pride that we are celebrating Maitri Diwas at the India Pavilion. It is an important message that governments across the globe must use this global platform to find ways and means to collaborate more for the benefit of people in their countries so that together we come out stronger in a post-Covid economy”, added Dr. Puri.
In his address, Mr. B M Jamal Hossain, Consul General of Bangladesh in Dubai said, “The holding of Maitri Diwas is a reflection of the deep and abiding friendship between the people of India and Bangladesh that has been forged in blood and shared sacrifices.”
“Over the last decades, both the countries have made remarkable progress on cooperation in large number of areas including security, connectivity, infrastructure, power, culture, people to people contact, disaster management, health etc. India has become one of the biggest development partners of Bangladesh and bilateral trade is now over USD 10 billion. Bangladesh-India relationships are now considered as a role model for neighbourhood diplomacy”, he added.
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Earlier this year in March when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to Bangladesh, both the countries decided to commemorate 06 December as Maitri Diwas, as it was on this day in 1971 that India recognized Bangladesh. India was one of the first countries to establish bilateral diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.
Apart from New Delhi and Dhaka, Maitri Diwas is being commemorated in 18 countries around the world including Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Qatar, Singapore, UK, Australia, France, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE and USA.