The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, departed Dhaka this morning on a 15-day official tour to Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The scheduled tri-nation visit (Japan, USA and UK) of PM Sheikh Hasina has begun today as a special chartered VVIP flight (BG1403) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members departed from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 07:56 AM. The news was confirmed by PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
PM Hasina will first visit Japan, then US and lastly UK on her 15-day official tour. There will be about eight agreements signed with Tokyo, but no bilateral discussions are scheduled to take place in the United States or the United Kingdom.
PM’S Japan visit
At 5:00 p.m. (local time), the premier of Bangladesh is due to land at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, where she will be welcomed by Shahabuddin Ahmed, the ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan, and TAKEI Shunsuke, the state minister for foreign affairs of Japan.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be honored at the airport with a red carpet and a static guard of honor. During her time in Japan, she will be staying at the Akasaka Palace of Residence in Tokyo.
Bangladesh-Japan to sign eight deals:
During the visit, Dhaka and Tokyo are likely to sign about eight accords. “In the 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 on Monday.
He said that deals would be signed regarding agriculture, metro train, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs, intellectual property, defense cooperation, ICT, and cyber security during PM Hasina’s visit to Japan.
On April 26, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be visiting Emperor Naruhito of Japan. On the same day, PM Hasina and her Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, would meet and sign the MoUs. According to Momen, the foreign minister of Bangladesh, the signing ceremony will be followed by a dinner at the residence of the Japanese prime minister.
On April 27, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will host a business summit in Tokyo, at which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will speak as the chief guest.
On the same day, four Japanese citizens would receive the “Friend of Liberation War Honour” from prime minister Sheikh Hasina for their participation in Bangladesh’s Great War of Liberation in 1971. In the evening, the Prime Minister will attend an event hosted by Bangladeshi expatriates and residents of Japan.
During her trip to Tokyo, the Prime Minister will also participate in a number of bilateral meetings, including a meeting with Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and meetings with the heads of JAICA, JETRO, JEBIC, JBPFL, and JBCCEC.
The Bangladeshi premier will also meet with Akie Abe, the widow of the late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, and Japanese architect Tadao Ando. In addition, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK will air an interview with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This will be Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sixth trip to Japan. She previously traveled to Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2019. Initially scheduled for November 29–December 1, 2022, Hasina’s visit to Japan was reportedly postponed due to the political situation there.
The US visit
On May 1, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will travel from Tokyo to Washington, DC to attend a ceremony commemorating the 50-year partnership between Bangladesh and the World Bank. PM Hasina will present a paper titled “Reflection on 50 Years of Bangladesh World Bank Partnership” as part of a ceremony at a seminar on Bangladesh’s socioeconomic development, where the president of the World Bank will also address.
On the same day, Sheikh Hasina will participate in an exclusive meeting with the World Bank’s Board of Governors. At the seminar, the successful development journey of Bangladesh and World Bank activities in the country over the past fifty years will be reviewed.
In addition, a multimedia exhibition titled “Bangladesh-World Bank 50 years of Partnership” will be held to present the cultural heritages and artworks of Bangladesh. The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to hold a conversation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier on April 29 afternoon.
On May 2, the US-Bangladesh Business Council will hold an exclusive meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Suzanne P. Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the US Chamber of Commerce, will visit the Prime Minister later.
At the invitation of the president of the US-Bangladesh Business Council, Nisha Biswal, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend a ‘High-level Executive’ round table with US business representatives on the same day as the keynote speaker. In addition, the Prime Minister will confer with Ajay Banga, the incoming president of the World Bank.
Momen stated that there will be no bilateral meeting between Hasina and any US official of high rank. “We did not try for it as only recently I held a meeting with the US secretary of state,” he stated.
The UK visit
PM Sheikh Hasina will depart Washington for London on May 4 in order to attend the coronation of Charles III and Camilla, his wife, as monarch and queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. After 70 years, approximately 130 chiefs of state or government will attend the forthcoming coronation of the British monarch.
During the visit, the secretary general of the Commonwealth will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who will also meet with several British ministers. The Prime Minister will also attend an event organized by the Bangladesh expatriates and diaspora living in the United Kingdom.
In last September, PM Hasina traveled to the US and the UK on an 18-day official visit to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II along with the ascension reception hosted by King Charles III respectively.
On May 8, PM Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to depart London for Dhaka.
