Ambassador of Bangladesh H.E. S.M. Abul Kalam hosted a reception to commemorate the 48th anniversary of his country’s ‘Armed Forces Day’, at the JW Marriott on 21 November.
Chief of Military Education, Kuwait Armed Forces, Major General Walid Eabdal Latif Al Surdii, representing the Chief of Staff, Kuwait Armed Forces, was the chief guest on the occasion. Also attending the event were Defense Attaché of Bangladesh Embassy, Brigadier General Mohammad Abu Naser, as well as guests from the diplomatic and military corps and other dignitaries, in addition to members of Bangladesh community and media personnel.
In his address to the gathering, Brigadier General Naser remarked that the day was significant for Bangladesh Armed Forces for the fact that it began with the glorious Liberation War in 1971. “Bangladesh Armed Forces remain committed to protecting not only the people at home but also globally, standing beside other armed forces. Hence, Bangladesh armed forces have footprints in many countries around the world as part of the United Nations and also here in Kuwait.”
Highlighting the relations between Bangladesh and Kuwait, Brigadier General Naser said the contributions of Bangladesh Military Contingent (BMC) in support of Kuwait Armed Forces in various fields like mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, medical, maintenance and service support since 1991, have been acknowledged and appreciated. He lauded the Kuwait-Bangladesh friendship as deep rooted through supreme sacrifices of 80 Bangladeshi soldiers during liberation and reconstruction phase of Kuwait.
On the contribution of Bangladesh Armed Forces to United Nations, Defense Attaché mentioned that Bangladesh is one of the largest troop-contributing countries in UN Peacekeeping Operations, with around 6520 Bangladeshi peacekeepers presently deployed in different countries.
“So far 167,341 peacekeepers of Bangladesh have participated in missions around the world, with 127 brave Bangldeshi sons sacrificing their lives and 215 being injured, in the noble cause of establishing global peace,” he added.
Praising the relationship between Kuwait and Bangladesh as strategic partners in different fields, the Ambassador of Bangladesh Abul Kalam stressed these relations and bonds are inseparable and historically connected. The Ambassador expressed thanks and deep gratitude to H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his government on the occasion. He also spoke highly of the contribution of the members of Bangladesh Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives for the liberation and reconstruction of Kuwait, for UN Peace-Keeping Missions around the world, and for the sovereignty of Bangladesh.
