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Secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said that the world supported Bangladesh’s democratic transition through elections.

‘The whole world supports this democratic transition. Specifically, the support of the democratic world is completely present here,’ he said at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport terminal after returning home from the United States late Friday on an Emirates Airlines flight.

Fakhrul said, ‘Our only message is to return to democracy. We will prepare for the February election as instructed by our acting chairman Tarique Rahman.’

The veteran BNP leader travelled to New York on September 23 as part of the delegation of chief adviser Muhammad Yunus to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Yunus returned home on October 2. The BNP secretary general returned a day later after attending a party programme in the United States.

Other members of the chief adviser’s delegation included the BNP acting chairman’s adviser Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, NCP member secretary Akhter Hossain and joint convener Tasnim Zara.

Regarding his trip to attend the UN General Assembly session, Mirza Fakhrul said, ‘We accompanied the honourable chief adviser to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at his invitation, and we fulfilled our responsibilities there as far as we were required. I believe our visit was successful.’

‘This is the first time the government has invited the major political parties to demonstrate national unity and in that respect this visit has certainly been successful. Bangladesh’s message has reached the world,’ he added.

Mirza Fakhrul further said, ‘We believe that the side meetings held in New York alongside the UN General Assembly session have been very fruitful for Bangladesh and for democracy as a whole.’

Regarding the incident of harassment upon landing at the airport in New York, he said, ‘We do not consider these to be a big deal. This is the Awami League’s culture to create such incidents.’