The Arab League chief Nabil El Araby has praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for holding trial for war crimes, according to the foreign ministry.

The message was conveyed when State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam met him in Cairo yesterday, said a foreign ministry press release issued today.

"The Arab League Secretary-General Dr Nabil El Araby praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “guts and determination” to form and hold trials at the International Crimes Tribunals, Bangladesh (ICT-BD)," said the release.

During the meeting, the veteran diplomat recounted memories of the deliberations in the UN Security Council during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation.

The Secretary-General said he was following the developments with trials at the ICT "quite closely", the press release continued, "and assured the Bangladesh state minister that the Arab League would always stand by the side of justice".

He also apprised the Bangladesh state minister about the ongoing diplomatic initiatives to resolve the critical issues of Palestine and Syria.

"He appreciated Bangladesh’s principled support to the Palestinian issue and urged Bangladesh to play its active role in the UN and other international fora in support of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for an independent and sovereign State," said the release.

When Shahriar Alam met Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, the latter expressed Egypt’s interest in “aggressively” pursuing its bilateral relations with Asia Pacific countries, including Bangladesh, added the press release.

"We also need the support and understanding for the challenges we face, including the ones with climate change, the issue of Myanmar refugees and false propaganda by certain quarters about the ongoing trials of those accused of committing crimes against humanity in 1971,” the Bangladesh state minister said during the meetings.