Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali has said Bangladesh was set on due course to be a middle income country by 2021 as he presented a keynote paper at the British parliament, a foreign office statement said in Dhaka Sunday.
"The foreign Minister showcased Bangladesh's globally acclaimed socio-economic achievements . . . as he presented a comprehensive narrative of a vibrant Bangladesh which is often missed in the media headlines," the statement said.
Mr Ali, it said, referred to Bangladesh its sustained robust economic growth, sound macro-economic indicators, diversification of a burgeoning exports, attainment of MDGs, impressive social indicators, exceptional pace in women's empowerment, food self-sufficiency, strengthening of democratic institutions and promotion of human rights and the rule of law.
The foreign minister made the keynote presentation at a seminar on 'Bangladesh Beyond the Headlines' at the British House of Lords in London on last Friday.
Underscoring the sound economic policies of the government, Mr Ali reaffirmed the government's determination to move faster towards Bangladesh's attaining middle income status by 2021.
Reflecting on the present government's foreign policy towards the UK, he said "Consolidating relations with the UK based on shared values of democracy and secularism, our common aspirations for economic prosperity and welfare of our talented British- Bangladeshi Diaspora would remain high on prime minister Sheikh Hasina's foreign policy agenda towards Britain".
He conveyed appreciation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government towards British parliamentarians both in London and Brussels for their sustained support to Bangladesh and its present government on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.
The seminar was chaired by Lord Sheikh, vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, and joined by Lord Karan Bilimoria, Baroness Pola Uddin, Jean Lambert MEP, Dr Charles Tannock MEP.
Representatives of mainstream international media including BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, The Economist, Asian Voice, Bangladesh News Papers including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo and prominent members of British Bangladeshi Diaspora including Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Rashed Suhrawardy and Iqbal Ahmed, OBE also attended the seminar.
In the same morning the foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali attended a breakfast meeting at the Asia House in London organised by its Business and Policy Programme and spoke on 'Bangladesh Foreign Policy 2014 and Beyond'.
The event was attended by senior executives of the Asia House, a London-based leading think tank and its corporate members. The briefing covered a range of policy issues, including on trade, investment, regional connectivity, energy cooperation, relations with neighbours as well as post-election political situation in Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh under the leadership of prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been experiencing a booming economy and a steady growth over six percent on an average that have had tremendous impact on overall socio-economic development in the country and attracting unprecedented investments from China and Japan for infrastructure mega projects," Mr Ali told the meeting.
