DHAKA, Jan 30, 2024 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said non-resident envoys of 14 countries, those are currently visiting Bangladesh to congratulate the new government, highly praised the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's role in the country's tremendous development.

"They (envoys) came here to congratulate our new government .. all of them highly lauded Bangladesh's development advancement taking place under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he told reporters after a meeting with the envoys at foreign service academy in the capital.

The foreign minister said the ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to Bangladesh but based in New Delhi expressed their keen interest to expand further trade relation between Bangladesh and their respective countries.

"All of them said Bangladesh have achieved dramatic development in last 10 years," Mahmud said adding that the envoys also showed interest to invest in Bangladesh's economic zones.
 
The foreign minister said the envoys of the east European countries assured to recruit more skilled manpower from Bangladesh.

Regarding the envoys from Africa, Mahmud said, they discussed on ample opportunity in utilizing agricultural cooperation between Bangladesh and African nations.

The non-resident envoys are Gilbert Shimane Magole of Botswana, Koy Kuong of Cambodia, Dr Eliska Zigova of Czech Republic, Mustapha Jawara of Gambia, Istvan Szabo of Hungary, Jason K Hall of Jamaica, Peggy Frantzen of Luxemburg, Ganbold Dambajav of Mongolia, Slobodan Uzunov of North Macedonia, Javier Manuel Paulinich Velarde of Peru, Robert Maxian of Slovak Republic, Mateja Vodeb Ghosh of Slovenia, Alberto A. Guani of Uruguay and Capaya Rodriguez Gonzalez of Venezuela.

The envoys paid their glowing tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his mausoleum at Tungipara in Gopalganj on Monday.

While replying to a query on a statement of global dignitaries published in Washington Post on Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus issue, the foreign minister said, what appeared on the US based newspaper regarding Dr Yunus was an advertisement, not a statement.

"Washington Post published it as an advertisement. That is an advertisement, not news. Clearly, it was done by a lobbyist firm," he said.

The lobbyist firms did such acts in the past as well, the minister recalled.

He said Bangladesh's judiciary is transparent and the government is not a party to Dr Yunus' case.

Mahmud said the aggrieved people of Yunus' organization filed the case and the trial is underway in a very transparent way.

Professor Yunus and three Grameen Telecom colleagues were convicted of labor law violations, sentenced to six months in jail, and given bail while appeals are considered.