PM off to Japan

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka this morning for Japan on a four-day official visit to attend the Outreach Meeting of the G7 nations, a grouping of seven advanced economies, in Nagoya at the invitation of Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here at 10.10 am.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Prime Minister’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy and Chief Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad ASM Feroze were present at the airport to see the Prime Minister off.

Besides, the cabinet secretary, the chiefs of three services, the dean of the diplomatic corps and high civil and military officials were also present.

The flight is expected to reach Chubu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya at 7:15 pm (Japan Time). 

Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Rabab Fatima and Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Miki Yamada will receive the Premier at the airport. 

On Friday, Sheikh Hasina will attend the G7 Outreach Programme at Shima Kanko Hotel. She will deliver statement in the programme. 

She will also deliver another statement in the Working Lunch with the G7 outreach leaders. 

The Prime Minister will hold a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on the same day. 

On Saturday, Sheikh Hasina will hold meetings with Sri Lankan President Mirthipala Srisena and her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. 

Later on the day, the Prime Minister will leave Nagoya for Tokyo by train. 

In the evening, she will inaugurate new Bangladesh Chancery Complex in Tokyo. 

On Sunday, Sheikh Hasina will have a breakfast meeting with the leading Japanese businessmen and witness signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between FBCCI and Jetro, apex trade bodies of the two countries. 

In the afternoon, she will attend a reception to be hosted by the Bangladeshi community. 

In the evening, the Prime Minister will leave Henada International Airport for home by a Biman flight, which is scheduled to reach Dhaka at 11:45pm. Besides Bangladesh, six other developing countries -- Lao PDR, Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Chad -- have been invited to the G7 Outreach Meeting of the G7 nations.

The Outreach Meeting will be held as part of the G7 summit slated for May 26-27.

Members of G7 nations are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while the European Union is also represented within the G7.

Source: BSS.