Govt wants friendship with foreigners but won't allow them to dominate: Quader

The government wants friendship with foreigners, but it will not allow anyone to dominate the country, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Tuesday (27 February). 

"We want friendship with foreigners. But we will not tolerate it if they want to come and play the role of a master instead of friend," he said at a press conference at the Awami League president's Dhanmondi office in the capital.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said, "During the recent visit of a US delegation, they talked about taking their relations with Bangladesh forward."

"The BNP has nothing to be optimistic about what they said. They didn't say anything about the government's downfall, their failures, or the action against the government. That's why they are silent now," he said.

"They [BNP] didn't get what they wanted from the United States. They wanted to hear that the government would be sanctioned but the US delegation expressed their commitment to advance relations with Bangladesh," Quader added.

Regarding the price hike of commodities, Quader said, "People understand that it is not the government's fault. The hike in commodity prices is not a problem with Bangladesh only. Prices are rising all over the world. 

"Show me one country in the world where prices are normal. But our people still have purchasing power. We hope that there will be enough supply of products in the upcoming Ramadan."

He further said, "There is definitely an issue of extortion. The prime minister herself gave strong statements against this extortion."