Dhaka, 25 February :
On the auspicious occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and
Philippines, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the President of the Philippines Rodrigo Roa
Duterte exchanged messages of felicitations and greetings yesterday.
In her message to the President of the Philippines Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina recalled with gratitude the early recognition the Government of the Philippines
accorded on 24 February 1972 to an independent Bangladesh. She also fondly recalled the stop-
over in Manila by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his return
journey from Tokyo in 1973 to express his gratitude to the friendly Government and people of
the Philippines for their magnanimous gesture.
Both the leaders praised the strong, cooperative and friendly relations that have been
nurtured between the two friendly countries in the last five decades, including trade, investment,
education, tourism, cultural exchange, people-to-people contacts etc. The two leaders expressed
optimism that the synergies developed over the last 50 years would be further strengthened by
exploring newer areas of cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two friendly peoples.
The two leaders vowed to further strengthen the shared journey of the two friendly
countries in the next 50 years and beyond.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen and Philippines
Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. locsin, Jr. also exchanged messages on the occasion of the 50
years of bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Philippines.
