On the occasion of the 46th anniversary of our Independence and National Day, I extend my sincere felicitations to the brotherly people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to our friends, well-wishers and Bangladeshi expatriates living in the Kingdom. On this auspicious day, I recall with profound respect the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of our nation. I pay special tribute to the memories of the martyrs of the War of Liberation as well as to our valiant freedom fighters, whose supreme sacrifices made us free as a nation. On this happy occasion, I would like to mention that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress towards democracy, rule of law, good governance and inclusive economic growth. Bangladesh has been identified as one of the Next-11 economies in the world. Despite global economic recession, Bangladesh has been able to maintain a steady growth around 6.5% in the last decade and looks forward to achieving more than 7% in the coming years. Bangladesh is a potential destination for investment. The emerging manufacturing sectors of Bangladesh are readymade garment, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding industry, glass fiber industry, ceramics, jute and jute products, agriculture industry, processed foods etc. As one of the largest Muslim-majority countries, Bangladesh enjoys excellent bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia based on common Islamic values, traditions, faith, culture and mutual respect. Over the years, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh have been playing a responsible and contributory role as members of the comity of nations in various areas of international cooperation, including at the UN and the OIC. We attach great importance to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the cooperation with Bangladesh as a valued development partner, particularly through generous hosting of a significant number of Bangladeshi expatriates. On this memorable day, I take the opportunity to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. I wish to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Bangladeshi expatriate community in the development and growth of both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh as well as in the consolidation of relations between the two brotherly countries. I wish them all continued peace, prosperity and happiness.
