DHAKA: Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali on Monday categorically said the government took bold steps against terrorism, financing of terrorism.

“As part of our government’s sustained efforts to combat against terrorism, financing of terrorism, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as well as small arms, we have taken a number of bold, pragmatic and concrete steps through successive tenures to eliminate these scourges from our sovereign territory,” he said

The foreign minister came up with the assertion while addressing a 3-day long workshop on ‘Measures against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction’ at the ministry.

He also said, “We have also maintained a zero-tolerance in ensuring that the soil of Bangladesh is not used by the purveyors of these menaces against the interest of our neighbouring countries, thereby making our region safer and more secure.”

Hasan Mahmud also told his audience that Bangladesh adopted unprecedented numbers of national legislations, comprehensive and accountable ones with supporting Rules, strategies and monitoring mechanisms and created national institutional mechanism on countering terrorism, financing of terrorism, mutual legal assistance and all forms of transnational crimes during the last regime of Awami League government.            

The ruling Awami League lawmaker mentioned Bangladesh’s firm commitment to international peace and security emanates from our constitution which upholds the central tenets of the foreign policy ideals of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a visionary and frontline Non-Aligned Movement leader, who postulated, ‘friendship to all and malice towards none’.

BDST: 2100 HRS, APR 21, 2014