PM to attend Global Fund conference

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Montreal on Thursday afternoon on a four-day official visit to Canada at the invitation of her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau to attend the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund (GF) in Montreal.

Canada is hosting the conference to work out ways to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on September 16-17.

An Air Canada flight carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Montreal at 4.22 pm (local time).

Bangladesh High Commissioner in Ottawa Mizanur Rahman received Sheikh Hasina at the airport, while senior officials of the Canadian Foreign ministry were present.

After the reception at the airport, Hasina was escorted by a ceremonial motorcade to Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, Montreal where she will be staying during her visit to Canada.

The PM is expected to hand over the posthumous 'Friends of Liberation War Honour' award to Justin Pierre Trudeau. The Bangladesh government awarded the honour to Pierre Trudeau, the then PM of Canada, for his outstanding support for and contributions to

the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

She will attend the opening session of the Replenishment Conference to be held at Hyatt Regency Montreal this afternoon. Hasina will later join the Ministerial Pledging Moment and official reception of the conference with other heads of state and government at the same hotel in the afternoon.

Hasina will also attend the official dinner to be hoisted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Justin Trudeau at Hyatt Regency Montreal.