UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has emphasised the importance of engaging the ‘extra-parliamentary’ opposition and encouraged progress in social and political reconciliation in Bangladesh.
He came up with the observation during his meeting with President Abdul Hamid held at the UN headquarters on Thursday.
The Secretary General expressed his regret at the failure of political parties to reach an agreement that would have allowed for inclusive elections in January this year, said a media release issued by UNDP here on Saturday.
At the meeting, President Abdul Hamid and Ban discussed Bangladesh’s achievements in disaster risk reduction, lowering mortality rates and reducing extreme poverty. President Hamid told him that the situation in Bangladesh is very stable now, especially after the January-5 election.
“People have accepted the election results and they’re looking forward to a better future,” Hamid said. “A sense of relief prevails in public mind and they’re least interested to have chaos and instability in the country,” the
President told Ban Ki-moon.
