Dhaka/Johannesburg: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her country rejoices with India on the success of its lunar mission, which is a matter of immense pride and inspiration to all the South Asian countries in advancing the science and space technology sector.
On Wednesday, India’s Chandrayaan-3 became the first space mission to land near the south pole of the Moon.
“Hon’ble PM of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina sent a message to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi on 23 August 2023 congratulating him & the people of India on the successful lunar landing of #Chandrayaan_3. She also conveyed her felicitations to @isro,” India in Bangladesh posted on X on Thursday.
In her message, Prime Minister Hasina also conveyed that Bangladesh rejoices with India on this “momentous occasion and on this historic achievement, which is a matter of immense pride and inspiration to all the South Asian countries in advancing the science and space technology sector”, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Hasina and Modi are both attending the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The two leaders exchanged pleasantries at a dinner hosted by the current Chair of the BRICS and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa hosted a dinner at Gallagher Estate, Midrand in Johannesburg in honour of heads of the states and governments who arrived in Johannesburg to join the 15th BRICS Summit at his invitation.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was a few yards away from the Bangladesh premier, walked to Sheikh Hasina and exchanged pleasantries,” Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was quoted as saying by Bangladesh’s national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
“The two prime ministers also enquired about each other’s well-being for a while,” Momen said.
The BRICS bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 16 per cent of the global trade.
Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend the summit. A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the summit this year.