PM flies to KSA Saturday

Desk Report: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka Saturday evening for Riyadh on a four-day official visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab Islamic-American (AIA) Summit.

"The premier is joining the summit at the invitation of Saudi King and Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud," PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said this on Friday.

On May 11, Saudi Minister for Culture and Information Dr Awad Bin-Saleh Al-Awad handed over the invitation letter of the Saudi King to the Prime Minister at Ganabhaban.

During her visit, the Prime Minister will also perform holy umrah at the Haram Sharif in Makkah and offer ziarat at the Rawza Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in Madinah.

The Arab Islamic-American (AIA) Summit will be held at King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on May 21.

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines VVIP Flight carrying the prime minister and members of her entourage will take off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport tomorrow evening for Riyadh.

The flight is scheduled to reach King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital at 11.15 pm local time the same day.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Golam Moshi will receive the premier at the airport.

From the airport, a ceremonial motorcade will escort Sheikh Hasina to Movenpick Hotel Riyadh, where she would stay for two days.

On May 21, the Bangladesh premier will attend the AIA Summit. She will also join the inauguration of "Global Centre for Combating Extremist Thought".

Sheikh Hasina will also attend lunch banquet to be hosted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

On May 22, the Prime Minister will leave Riyadh for Madinah by air to offer ziarat at the Rawza Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

The Prime Minister will leave Madinah for Jeddah in the afternoon on May 22. On arrival at King AbdulAziz International Airport, she will go to Makkah to perform holy umrah at the Haram Sharif.

Sheikh Hasina will return home on May 23.

US President Donald Trump as well as 56 Arab and Muslim leaders will join the summit to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing under the summit slogan "Together We Prevail".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to put forward a number of proposals in the upcoming summit on how to work together to face the global challenges of terrorism and militancy.

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said the premier will focus on Bangladesh's firm stance against terrorism and militancy and the country's successes in curbing these menaces for ensuring peace and stability.

Issues relating to prevention of global militancy, Palestine crisis and the present geo-political developments in the region and beyond would be discussed prominently in the summit, he said.

"The main objective of the summit is to establish new partnership to face the challenges of global terrorism and militancy, expand values of tolerance and coexistence and strengthen efforts for ensuring peace and stability," Ali added.


Source: BSS
 

risingbd/Dhaka/May 19, 2017/A K Azad