PM to leave Washington for London tomorrow to join coronation of Charles III

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Washington DC for London tomorrow to attend the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla as the king and the queen of the United Kingdom (UK) and the other Commonwealth realms.

A United Airlines flight carrying the prime minister and her entourage members will depart from the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC around 08:25 Washington time.

Ambassador of Bangladesh to the USA Muhammad Imran will see off the prime minister at the airport.

The flight will land at the Heathrow International Airport in London at 20:55 (local time) where Bangladesh High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Saida Muna Tasneem will receive the Prime Minister.

During her stay in London, she will also attend a programme of Commonwealth Leaders, an event foxed by the Cambridge University and a civic reception.

The Prime Minister attended a programme marking 50 years of Bangladesh-World Bank partnership and some side events that include a roundtable with US business leaders and several meetings with WB’s incoming President Ajay Banga and a civic reception.

She arrived in Washington DC on April 28 wrapping up her four-day official visit to Tokyo in Japan at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

Earlier on April 24, 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 4:45pm (local time).

Japan had rolled out a red carpet to welcome the Bangladeshi prime minister and gave her the state guard of honour at the airport.

During her visit to Japan, she signed eight instruments on agriculture, metro rail, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual properties, defence cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation.

On 26 April, Sheikh Hasina paid a courtesy call on the Emperor of Japan Naruhito. Then on the same day, she 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 on 27 April for their contribution to Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

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

She also met the late 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 concerned high level government officials accompanied the prime minister during her visit to Japan.

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