United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has lauded Bangladesh for the way it has come up in overall development, calling it a “miracle”. Praising Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a bilateral talk at Lotte New York Palace, Guterres said the priorities of the United Nations and her country were the same.

“The priorities of Bangladesh are the priorities of the United Nations, whether it is climate change or sustainable development goals,” Guterres said, according to Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, who briefed the media.

During the talks, Sheikh Hasina urged the UN secretary-general to engage more personnel of the Bangladesh armed forces in the higher ranks of the UN peacekeeping mission.

Replying to a query about the UN secretary-general's response to the PM's call, the foreign minister said Guterres reacted positively to the call as he wanted to do more for Bangladesh.

Momen said, “The UN has acknowledged Bangladesh was a ‘role model’ as it was turning into ‘a vibrant economy’”.

Guterres has also commended Bangladesh for its leadership in all UN’s achievements, the foreign minister said.

The prime minister also had meetings with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih at the UN headquarters.

On the meeting with the Maldivian president, Momen said the two countries were working on starting commercial shipping operations between Male and Chattogram to improve connectivity in this part of South Asia. 

(SAM)