The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The active participation of Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the D-8 Summit raised Bangladesh's international profile as a 'thought-leader' in the global arena.

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, who was a member of the Chief Adviser's delegation to the Summit and represented Bangladesh at the Ministerial component of the D-8 Conference, made this observation Wednesday while talking to the media on the outcome of the Kuala Lumpur meet.

Dr Iftekhar said the Chief Adviser's proposal on Food Fund was enthusiastically received. He also made several important recommendations on migrant workers' rights, climate change, and agriculture.

The Adviser further said also at the retreat of the leaders the Chief Adviser made significant contribution towards the idea of greater emphasis on agricultural productivity in the D-8 countries.

"Some of these ideas have been reflected in the Declaration that the leaders issued in Kuala Lumpur," the Foreign Adviser added.

"A significant amount of time was spent on discussions with Malaysian leaders on workers' issues and other bilateral matters," he said, adding that the labour market of Bangladeshis in Malaysia was continually expanding and now their number exceeded 445,000.

The Malaysian leaders are now welcoming and appreciating this workforce, contrary to some reports earlier, he maintained.

"However, there are some problems which the Chief Adviser raised with his Malaysian counterpart Dr Abdullah Badawi, who assured him that these would be looked into."

The Chief Adviser also gave a patient hearing to the members of the Bangladeshi community at an event at his hotel.

The Foreign Adviser went on to say: "On my own, I held separate meetings with Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Home and Immigration Minister Dr Hamed Albar. I visited the workers who are housed in the shelter run by the High Commission. I instructed the High Commission to do all that is possible to reduce those workers' problems."

The opportunity was also used by the Chief Adviser to hold separate bilateral meetings with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Prime Minister Syed Makhdoom Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan, with both discussing ways and means of enhancing cooperation.

"While the D-8 was not in competition with G-8, which was in meeting of the world's most powerful leaders in Hokkaido, taking place at the same time, it is expected that the eight most significant economies will hear the message of the eight large developed countries, along the bridge built between Malaysia and Japan," the Foreign Adviser said.