US President George W Bush telephoned Sheikh Hasina yesterday and congratulated her on her assumption of the office of prime minister of Bangladesh.
President Bush, who made the phone call at 6:40pm Bangladesh time, termed Hasina's success in the parliamentary election a “landslide victory”, an official handout said.
He said the verdict of the people of Bangladesh to establish non-communal democracy is notable.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked the US president on behalf of the government, the people of Bangladesh and her party Bangladesh Awami League.
The prime minister said support and cooperation of the United States, along with other countries, toward holding a free, fair and neutral election in Bangladesh is praiseworthy.
She expected US cooperation in building a poverty-free Bangladesh, as poverty is the “main enemy of the country”.
The prime minister told the US president that terrorism is one of the main problems in South Asia. She stressed the need for taking an effective joint initiative to fight terrorism in the region.
They exchanged pleasantries during conservation, the handout said.