Bangladesh PM thanks PM Modi for evacuating its nationals from Ukraine’s Sumy

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the evacuation of Bangladeshi nationals from Ukraine’s besieged city of Sumy.

In a letter dated March 15, PM Sheikh Hasina said, “I write to express my sincere thanks to you and your government for extending support and assistance in rescuing and evacuating some Bangladeshi nationals along with the Indians who were stranded in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine.”

“The wholehearted cooperation that your government has been extending in this regard is a testament to the unique and enduring relationship that our two countries have been enjoying over the years,” she further added.

In her letter to PM Narendra Modi, PM Sheikh Hasina also recalled PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh last year on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Hailing India-Bangladesh ties, PM Hasina pointed out that, the bilateral ties between both the countries have been strengthened through meaningful engagement at all levels over the past years. It is pertinent to note that Bangladesh is currently India’s biggest trade partner in the South Asian region.

Evacuation from Sumy: A daunting challenge

Calling the evacuation from Sumy ‘a daunting challenge’, EAM Dr. S Jaishankar earlier said, “The Sumy evacuation, which was the last one on a significant scale, was also extremely complex as our students faced the prospect of being caught in the crossfire. Their evacuation from the city needed a credible ceasefire.”

“This finally materialized due to the personal intervention of the Prime Minister himself with the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia. Noting the extraordinary challenges before us, we also dispatched a special team of senior officers to the vicinity of Sumy. Their coordination with the military forces deployed there, with the ICRC and the arrangement of logistics was responsible for the final outcome,” EAM Dr Jaishankar added.

India evacuates 150 foreign nationals from Ukraine

Earlier addressing Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar informed that around 150 stranded foreign nationals have been evacuated from war-torn Ukraine so far under India’s Operation Ganga.

In his statement to the august House, EAM Dr. S Jaishankar further informed that India had also provided free passage to Ukrainian nationals from India to Poland in evacuation flights.

“In line with India’s principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, foreign nationals were also evacuated from conflict zones and brought to India. They included about 150 citizens, 147 to be exact of 18 countries, among them our immediate neighbours like Bangladesh and Nepal. Many of the Ukrainian nationals that were family members of Indian nationals have also been evacuated,” EAM Dr. S Jaishankar said.