PM reaches Washington DC

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached Washington DC to attend the ceremony marking the 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank here on May 1.

A United Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC at around 3.35pm Washington time on April 28 (BST 1.35am on Saturday).

Ambassador of Bangladesh to the USA Muhammad Imran and Alternative Executive Director of the World Bank Dr Ahmad Kaikaus received the Prime Minister at the airport.

Senior officials of the US government were present on the occasion.

After her seven-day visit to Washington DC, she will leave the USA for London on May 4 to attend the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla as the king and the queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.

Earlier on April 25, a special chartered VVIP flight (BG1403) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed at the Haneda International Airport, Tokyo at 04.45pm (local time).

Japan had rolled out a red carpet to welcome the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and gave her the static guard of honour at the airport.

During her visit to Japan, Dhaka and Tokyo signed eight instruments 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.

On April 26, Sheikh Hasina paid a courtesy call on the Emperor of Japan Naruhito.

On the same day, she also held a bilateral meeting with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida after the signing of the deals.

The premier also attended an investment summit and a community reception alongside handing over the “Friends of Liberation War Honour” to four Japanese nationals for their contribution to Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971 on April 27.

During her visit in Tokyo, the prime minister attended several additional bilateral meetings with Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and leaders of JAICA, JETRO, JEBIC, JBPFL and JBCCEC.

She also met the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie Abe and Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Her sister Sheikh Rehana, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, agriculture minister 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 and state minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak along with the relevant high level government officials accompanied the prime minister during her visit to Japan.

The prime minister is scheduled to reach Dhaka from London on May 9. (BSS)