UN General Assembly
1983

262. Bangladesh must be permitted to proceed unimpeded with the delicate and complex task of national reconstruction and development. We need the friendship, understanding and assistance of our neighbours, our friends, the international community and the United Nations system. Conscious of the need to create an atmosphere of harmony and accord in South Asia, Bangladesh has joined six other countries of the region in promoting regional co-operation. Very recently we held the first-ever meeting of seven South Asian foreign ministers. We have been able to identify specific areas of co-operation, and we remain confident in Bangladesh that as this regional co-operation develops so will the overall climate in the region. 263. In our efforts to build a solid base for the relaxation of regional and international tensions, we have always supported the creation of zones of peace and nuclear-weapon-free zones in various parts of the world. We have also consistently supported the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace.