DHAKA, May 31, 2024 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has reaffirmed Bangladesh's steadfast support for UN peacekeeping missions in the coming days.

He express this view while attending a joint reception by Bangladesh and Austria at the United Nations headquarters in New York to mark International Peacekeepers Day on Thursday, a foreign ministry press release said here today.

During the event, Dr Hasan said Bangladesh has always been at the forefront of UN peace initiatives following the foreign policy of its founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He highly lauded the dedication and professionalism of Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed at different UN peacekeeping missions.

He extended his deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in peacekeeping operations, emphasizing the increasing global threats to peace and the critical need to bolster peacekeeping efforts.

Hasan Mahmud, along with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Austria's Charg, d'Affaires Stefan Pretterhofer, paid tribute to 64 peacekeepers from 34 countries who died in 2023 while serving in UN missions.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, received the 'Dag Hammarskj"ld Medal' from the UN Secretary-General on behalf of two Bangladeshi peacekeepers who were martyred in 2023.

The event showed Bangladesh's significant role and continued dedication to international peacekeeping efforts, said the release.