PM leaves for tri-nation tour tomorrow

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave here tomorrow on a 15-day official tour to Japan, the USA and the UK, while Dhaka is expected to sign around eight deals with Tokyo during the visit.

“In presence of the two prime ministers (Bangladesh and Japan), nearly eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) are likely to be signed between the two countries,” foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said in a curtain raiser briefing at the foreign ministry here today.

He said the deals on agriculture, metro rail, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual properties; defence cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation will be signed during the visit in Japan.

“The visit will create an opportunity to discuss the matter related to uplift the bilateral relations between the two countries to ‘Strategic Partnership’ with more importance,” said the foreign minister.

State Minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam also spoke at the briefing.

Japan Visit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airline at 7:45 am tomorrow and on the same day she is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo at 5:00 PM (local time).

On April 26, Momen said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a courtesy call on Emperor of Japan Naruhito.

On the same day, Bangladesh Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida which will be followed by signing of MoUs.

After the signing ceremony, the meeting will conclude with a dinner to be hosted at the residence of the Prime Minister of Japan, said the foreign minister.

On April 27, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will deliver her speech as the chief guest at a Bangladesh business summit jointly organized by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and JETRO in Tokyo.

On the same day, the premier will hand over the ‘Friend of Liberation War Honour’ to four Japanese citizens for their contribution during Bangladesh’s Great War of Liberation in 1971.

In the evening, the Prime minister will join the event to be organized by the Bangladesh expatriates and community living in Japan.

During her visit in Tokyo, the Prime Minister will also attend several additional bilateral meetings, including meeting with Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi,and meeting with leaders of JAICA, JETRO, JEBIC, JBPFL, JBCCEC.

The Bangladesh Premier will also meet the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie Abe and a Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Besides, Japan state television channel NHK will broadcast an interview of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Younger daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Rehana; Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen; Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque; Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman; State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam; State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid; State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT)Zunaid Ahmed Palak along with the relevant high level government officials will accompany the prime minister during her visit to Japan.

This will be the sixth visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan. Earlier, she visited Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019.

US visit

The Bangladesh Prime minister will reach the United States from Tokyo to attend the ceremony marking 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and World Bank at the Headquarters of the global bank in Washington DC on May 1.

As part of the ceremony at a seminar on Bangladesh’s Socio Economic development, prime minister Sheikh Hasina will deliver a paper titled “Reflection on 50 years of Bangladesh World Bank Partnership” where the World Bank president will also speak.

On the same day, Sheikh Hasina will join an exclusive meeting with the Board of Directors of The World Bank.

Bangladesh’s victorious development journey and World Bank’s activities in the country in the last five decades would be presented at the seminar.

Besides, a multimedia exhibition titled “Bangladesh-World Bank 50 years of Partnership” will be organised to depict Bangladesh’s cultural heritages and artworks.

Earlier on April 29 afternoon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On May 2, high officials of ‘US-Bangladesh Business Council’ will join Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in an exclusive meeting.

Later, President and Chief executive officer (CEO) of US Chamber of Commerce Suzanne P. Clark will call on the Prime Minister.

On the Same day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join a ‘High-level Executive’ round table with US business representatives as key speaker at an invitation from US-Bangladesh Business Council president Nisha Biswal.

Besides, the Prime Minister will also meet the next president of World Bank Ajay Banga.

UK visit

On May 4, Bangladesh premier will leave Washington for London to join the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.

Around 130 heads of state or governments will attend the upcoming coronation ceremony of the British Monarch which is to take place after 70 years.

During the visit, the commonwealth secretary general will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while several British ministers are also scheduled to meet the Bangladesh Premier.

The Prime minister will also join an event to be organized by the Bangladesh expatriates and diaspora community living in the UK.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave London for Dhaka on May 8. (BSS)