10-day state programme: Itinerary of foreign heads of states, governments

Bangladesh is all set to welcome a host of foreign heads of states and governments as the country gears up for a 10-day state programme celebrating its golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The celebrations are set to begin on March 17 at the National Parade Square.

Five heads of state and government are set to arrive for the celebrations – Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The following is the itinerary of the foreign dignitaries, according to the foreign ministry:

MALDIVES PRESIDENT IBRAHIM MOHAMED SOLIH

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will arrive on March 17 for a two-day tour as the first of the world leaders to join Bangladesh's golden jubilee of independence and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary celebrations.

His wife, First Lady Madam Fazna Ahmed, will accompany him. Besides, a delegation of 27, including Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid and Economic Development Minister Fayyaz Ismail, will also visit the country, according to the foreign ministry that briefed the media on the visits of the foreign dignitaries today.

President M Abdul Hamid will receive his Maldivian counterpart at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on the morning of March 17.

Solih will then go to the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar to pay respect to the martyrs of the Liberation War and then the portrait of Bangabandhu in Dhanmondi. In the afternoon, he will attend the National Parade Square function at Tejgaon where Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid will join him in the afternoon.

On the following morning, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The same day, Solih will attend a cultural show and dinner to be hosted by President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban.

Maldives is the largest labour market for Bangladesh in South Asia. Some 90,000 Bangladeshis work there. Many of them became undocumented and some 10,000 have returned home last year. There is scope for cooperation in trade in fisheries, health, tourism and climate change.  

SRI LANKA PRIME MINISTER MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA

Rajapaksa will arrive in Dhaka on a two-day visit from March 19. A 28-member delegation including Sri Lanka's education minister, state minister for regional cooperation, state minister for textile, rural housing and house building.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will welcome Rajapaksa at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and he will be given a guard of honour including a 21-gun salute. He will then pay respect to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Monument in Savar and join celebrations at the National Parade Square as a guest of honour. In the evening, Rajapaksa will attend the dinner to be hosted by the PM.

On March 20, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister will visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and pay respect to the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi. He will then hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The issues of trade and investment, agriculture, coastal shipping, education, IT will be discussed in the meeting.

NEPALESE PRESIDENT BIDYA DEVI BHANDARI

Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari will be in Dhaka on a two-day tour from March 22. Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, foreign secretary and other officials will accompany her.

She will visit the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, and in the afternoon she will visit Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen before attending the celebrations of the golden jubilee of independence and Mujib Borsho at the National Parade Square. President Abdul Hamid will host a dinner in her honour at the Bangabhaban on March 22.

On March 23, Bidya Devi Bhandari wil visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum before leaving for Kathmandu.

A number of MoUs are supposed to be signed during the visit. Those include on tourism, cultural cooperation, trade and commerce.

BHUTANESE PRIME MINISTER DR LOTAY TSHERING

Lotay Tshering will arrive in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a two-day visit on March 24. Apart from attending the celebrations of the golden jubilee of independence and Mujib Borsho, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was invited to attend the celebrations but he is unable to visit due to unavoidable circumstances. As his representative, Lotay Tshering is coming to Bangladesh.

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive on a two-day visit to Bangladesh on March 26 to attend the celebrations of Bangladesh's golden jubilee of independence, Mujib Borsho and the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

On March 26, he will pay respect to the martyrs of the country's Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, deliver a speech at the National Parade Square as a guest of honour. The same day evening, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will inaugurate Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition.

In the morning of March 27, Modi will pay respect to the memory of Bangabandhu at the Bangabandhu Memorial at Tungipara in Gopalganj. Besides, he will also visit two temples -- one in Satkhira and the other in Gopalganj -- and briefly exchange views with the locals. He will meet the representatives of Matua community in Orakanda in Kashiani.  

On March 27 afternoon, the two premiers will hold a meeting. They will also inaugurate two memorial stamps and visit Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition. Narendra Modi will also pay a courtesy call on Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid at his office before leaving for Delhi the same night.

At least three MoUs are supposed to be signed during the visit of Narendra Modi.