Your Excellency Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad, President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and Begum Raushan Ershad:

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you this evening. I also extend a warm welcome to the distinguished members of your delegation. It is with much joy, Mr. President, that I recall your previous visit to our land three years ago. Since then, the Maldives and Bangladesh have grown closer together in many fields. The Agreement on Co-operation in Sound Broadcasting between our two countries and the Cultural Exchange Programme which we signed at the conclusion of our talks this afternoon will further expand the areas of co-operation between our two nations. May I also add that the continued successful operation of our joint venture, Bank of Maldives, is a good example of growing co-operation among SAARC countries.

I need not reiterate here the historical and spiritual ties that exist between the Maldives and Bangladesh. Let me say, however, that we have been following with keen interest the admirable work that you have been doing to bring political stability to your country and to improve the living conditions of your people. The recent parliamentary elections and the assumption of legislative powers by the elected representatives of the people is ample proof of your government’s commitment to democratic principles which will undoubtedly lead to further stability and peace.

In view of the close relations between our two countries and in appreciation of the positive role Bangladesh plays in international affairs, it was with particular pleasure that we supported the nomination of your distinguished Foreign Minister Humayun Rasheed Choudhury for the presidency of the 41st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. May I also mention here that the people of the Maldives fully sympathize with Bangladesh at the hardships faced by its people in overcoming natural disasters. We were happy therefore to have co-sponsored the Bangladesh resolution submitted to the 40th Session of the United Nations General Assembly which, inter alia, appealed to members of the United Nations and other international bodies to extend financial and technical assistance to help supplement your country’s efforts at disaster preparedness and finding a long term solution to the problem.

Mr. President, we know that your country, in the same manner as the Maldives and other countries of the third world, is faced with many economic and social problems. But I am happy to note that as a result of your government’s well-planned development strategies the growth rate of your GDP has increased in the past two years, and that, in spite of drought and other adverse conditions, your food grain output has also increased. Furthermore, your export earnings during the current year are expected to grow by almost 15 percent. Mr. President, these are no small achievements and we know that without your total dedication and foresight none of this would have been possible.

You have inspired the people of Bangladesh not only with your political leadership but also with your thought provoking emotions that have touched the heart and soul of every Bangladeshi. The beautiful poems with which you have enriched the glorious Bengali literature have played an important part in bringing home to your people the vision of a new Bangladesh. I quote:

“We are embarked on a voyage,
And so we have sworn an oath
To forge ahead.
Ninety million people
Have lighted a lamp
Fashioned with their hopes,
We take it in our hands
And march ahead,
Overcoming all that stand in our way,
To build a new land
A land of our dreams,
Yours and mine,
A land after our heart’s desire –
Bangladesh.”

Mr. President, your present visit to this country is of added importance as you are with us today not only as the leader of a very close, brotherly nation but also as the current Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation. Indeed, your visit to the Maldives is part of a tour of our seven countries you are undertaking in that important capacity, a fact which demonstrates your strong personal commitment to the goals and aspirations of SAARC.

I recall with pleasure that it was under your eminent leadership and in your beloved homeland that the historic first SAARC Summit took place in December 1985 which ended most fruitfully with the formal declaration of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation. As you know, SAARC embodies the will of a billion people. It is a collective investment for the mutual benefit of all seven countries, and more significantly, it is a promise, sealed by true brotherhood, for a better future for all of us.

We in the Maldives believe that if the momentum generated at the Dhaka Summit is maintained, the progress of our Association towards achieving its goals and objectives is more than guaranteed. However, the path which lies ahead for the Association is not an easy one.

Indeed, our problems are many and diverse. Yet, we have the capability for meeting the challenge together, for all our countries do possess unlimited human and material resources that have not been fully utilised. However, for our seven countries to embark on common strategies for the optimum utilisation of our vast economic base, I am convinced that there has to be a high degree of bilateral understanding and rapport among member states. I know that this will be high in the list of your concerns and we in the Maldives are hopeful that your discussions in our respective capitals in this regard will be positive. On behalf of the people of the Republic of Maldives and on my own behalf, I wish you every success in your most honourable duty.

In the rapidly worsening international economic climate, the challenge of social and economic development faced by our seven nations looms large. The Maldives believes that it is through this Association and its underlying principles that this challenge can best be met by the countries of this region in any significant manner.

Mr. President, the peace and stability of our region is increasingly becoming vulnerable by the growing military presence of the super powers in the Indian Ocean. It is imperative that strong, concerted and persistent efforts be made, in both the international and regional levels, towards making the Indian Ocean a zone of peace. It is in keeping with this objective and the broader objective of peace in this region, that the Maldives has taken the initiative in urging member states of SAARC to harmonise their views with regard to the concept of establishing a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in South Asia. Our position is based on the conviction that the creation of nuclear-weapon-free-zones and zones of peace on regional bases would contribute to the objectives of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and general and complete disarmament, and help to achieve the final aim of a nuclear free and peaceful world.

Before concluding, I wish to reaffirm my country’s belief that regional co-operation is the most appropriate, if not the only, forum through which developing nations such as ours can collectively raise their voices and be heard in the international arena in calling for peaceful co-existence and unity of the human race.

Mr. President, I hope that you will find your second visit to the Maldives as memorable and pleasurable as the first. I am sure that it will be so, specially as you are accompanied by your charming First Lady.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I now invite you to raise your glasses to join me in a toast:

To the health and happiness of His Excellency Lieutenant-General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and Begum Raushan Ershad;

To the progress and prosperity of the people of Bangladesh; and

To the continued brotherhood, friendship and co-operation between our two governments and peoples.