US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said Bangladesh has everything it needs to become a prosperous, democratic and a developed country over the coming decades.
The road ahead is, of course, filled with potholes, he added. "And Bangladesh will have to take steps to nourish democracy, improve governance, build institutions, and educate its people in order to navigate these potholes."
The ambassador was speaking in a video message to celebrate his first year in office in Bangladesh Tuesday.
He said: "When I think about Bangladesh, an analogy comes to mind: I am riding in a car in which movement down the road represents the passage of time. When I look in the rearview mirror, I am amazed by how far Bangladesh has come in just 51 years."
"I see a Bangladesh that has made the journey from a country with little more than its independence and pride to a country with one of the world's fastest-growing economies that is on the cusp of graduating from the least developed country status."
"When I look down the road through the windscreen, I imagine just how far Bangladesh can travel over the next 51 years. Bangladesh and its people are steering the vehicle and it is you who will determine the direction — and speed — in which the car travels in the future," Haas said.
The US has been and will continue to accompany you in the journey, he added. "We will do everything we can to help you reach the destination."
Haas also recalled some of his trips and activities in Bangladesh in the past year, including the Sundarbans, Rajshahi, and Cox's Bazar.
The ambassador said he met with Bangladeshis from all walks of life and learned to love shingara, biriyani and mishti doi (sweet curd).
