Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has paid his first courtesy call on Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban since the latter became president. The meeting took place on Tuesday afternoon (September 29), the president’s press secretary Md Sarwar Alam said.
The prime minister returned home from New York on Sunday morning after attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where he took part in about 30 meetings and programmes and addressed the General Assembly for the first time. By custom, the prime minister meets the head of state after a foreign visit to brief him.
When the prime minister arrived at Bangabhaban at around 3pm, the president welcomed him and introduced him to his military secretary, secretary, press secretary and other senior officials.
The prime minister briefed the president on his recent US visit, including the UN General Assembly session and his meetings with heads of state and government, the UN Secretary-General and other top officials, and senior representatives of international economic and development partners.
The president congratulated the prime minister on his speech to the 81st General Assembly, calling it “farsighted, resolute and guiding”. He said the speech reflected Bangladesh’s national interests and aspirations and set out the country’s position on major global issues clearly, and expressed hope it would further strengthen Bangladesh’s standing internationally. The visit had played an important role in consolidating Bangladesh’s position, protecting the public interest and expanding bilateral and multilateral relations, he said. Various matters of national and state interest were also discussed.
Separately, when a delegation led by Professor Dr Muhammad Masud, vice-chancellor of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), paid a courtesy call at Bangabhaban, the president urged it to take the lead in research and innovation in modern technology, artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology and biotechnology, and semiconductors for the public good.
People must be careful that AI is not used in an uncontrolled and arbitrary way, the president said, noting that unregulated use of AI is reducing people’s capacity to think and their creative talent, so its use for the public good and in moderation must be ensured.
The vice-chancellor briefed the president on the university’s academic activities. The president said quality education should be decentralised rather than confined to the capital, and stressed involving universities more in national research and development. He accepted the vice-chancellor’s formal invitation to attend KUET’s upcoming convocation as chancellor. The president’s military secretary, secretaries and press secretary and professors of the university were present.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report