Bangladesh's interests prioritised in Malaysia-China visits: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said the people of Bangladesh have entrusted the government with the responsibility of protecting their interests, and during his visits to Malaysia and China, he discussed and prioritised the interests of Bangladesh and its people.

He made the remarks after a motion of thanks for the success of his Malaysia and China visits was unanimously adopted in the 16th sitting of the 13th National Parliament's second session (budget session) on Saturday, June 27.

"The people of Bangladesh have given us the responsibility to look after their interests. During the Malaysia and China visits, I spoke about the interests of the country and its people and tried to protect those interests. We have no personal agenda here. If anything good has been achieved from this visit, it is Bangladesh's achievement, the achievement of the people of Bangladesh," he said.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram presided over the session, which began at 11:00 am. The prime minister had completed his six-day official visit to Malaysia and China from June 21 to June 26.

When parliament congratulated and thanked the prime minister for the success of the visit, he expressed gratitude to the MPs.

"Our party's key slogan is 'Bangladesh First'. We always work prioritising the country's interests above all," he said.

He also thanked the opposition leader, saying that cooperation and encouragement from the opposition had been received in working for the people of the country.

Earlier, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir moved the motion of thanks for the prime minister's successful state visit. MPs from both the treasury and opposition benches spoke on the motion, which was later adopted unanimously by voice vote.

During the discussion, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman termed the visit important and strategically significant for Bangladesh's foreign policy and economic diplomacy.

Before the motion was put to vote, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram said that from the speeches of the participating members, it was clear that the prime minister's recent visits to Malaysia and China had opened new horizons in Bangladesh's foreign policy.

The prime minister returned to Dhaka on Friday night, arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:15 pm. He was received by BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam.