Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi led initiative in the direction of rescuing college students of her nation who had been caught in jap Europe following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine battle.

In a tv interplay with ANI, Prime Minister Hasina, who is ready to go to India on Monday, additionally praised the Narendra Modi authorities’s gesture of offering COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring international locations underneath its Vaccine Maitri programme when the pandemic was spreading quick.

The Bangladesh prime minister emphasised on nearer cooperation between the 2 neighbours. There may be variations, however these ought to be addressed by way of dialogue, she stated, including that in numerous areas, India and Bangladesh had exactly executed that.

She, nonetheless, marked out two areas for particular reward the place the Indian authorities’s assist helped Bangladeshi residents. One of those was the evacuation of Bangladesh college students, who, like many Indians, had been caught in Ukraine and its neighbouring international locations after the outbreak of the battle.

“I really would like to express my thanks to Prime Minister that during this war between Russia and Ukraine, many of our students were just stuck, and they came to Poland for shelter. But when you evacuated your students, Indian students, they also brought our students back home. So it is really… You have shown a clearly friendly gesture. I thank Prime Minister (Modi) for this initiative,” Prime Minister Hasina stated.

She was responding to a query about remarks typically made, particularly by western observers, that there was a scarcity of cooperation amongst SAARC nations. To one other query in regards to the Indian authorities’s Vaccine Maitri programme, the Bangladesh Prime Minister stated it was a really “prudent” initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi.

“I really thank Prime Minister Modi for this initiative, and that way he… you know, contributed vaccines to not only Bangladesh, also some south Asian countries, and it’s really very, very helpful. And it’s a really prudent initiative he has taken. Besides that, we bought vaccines with our own money, and also many other countries also contributed,” she stated.

She additionally gave particulars about her nation’s vaccination programme. Bangladesh has administered Covid-19 vaccines to 90 per cent of its inhabitants. “Usually, you know, people from our country, especially the village level, even in some towns also, I found many people very much reluctant to take vaccine. They don’t want to take the… you know… the pinch of needle or ‘sui nai lena hai’ so… but we have to pursue them. We told them that this is nothing, but it will save your life. So that way we engaged everybody, so that they make people… so it was really very good initiative, this Vaccine Maitri itself… very good initiative. I really support,” she stated.

Prime Minister Hasina referred to India as a “tested” pal and stated that the nation had stood by Bangladesh in its hour of want, first in 1971 after which at later instances additionally.

“We always remember their contribution during our 1971 war. And besides that, even 1975, when we lost all my family members. So, the then Prime Minister, she gave us shelter in India. Besides that, you see, these two countries, we are neighbours, close neighbours and I always give importance and priority to friendship with our neighbouring countries,” she stated.

The relationship between the 2 international locations ought to be for the betterment of their residents, she stated.

She stated even in the course of the COVID-19 interval, Indian management had proven their optimistic intentions as each, the then President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh because it celebrated its Independence Day.

“I really thank Prime Minister Modi and also your honourable president. Both of them visited Bangladesh when we were celebrating our father of the nation birth centenary and also our independence, 50 years of our Independence Day, and our friendship with India. India recognised Bangladesh early on, so that bonding, I think that is our main priority. That their visit at such a time, even that time there was a COVID-19 pandemic but beside that both of them honoured us, honoured our people,” she stated.