PM off to Mongolia to attend ASEM Summit
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left from Dhaka this morning for Mongolia to attend the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit to be held at Ulaanbaatar on July 15-16.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and members of her entourage took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HISA) at 11.30 am.
Ministers, advisers to the PM, chiefs of the three services, the dean of the diplomatic corps and high civil and military officials were present at the airport to see off the premier.
The flight is scheduled to reach Chinggis Khaan International Airport at Ulaanbaatar at 7.55 pm local time.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Mongolia Fazlul Karim and Chief of Staff of the President of Mongolia and the Ambassador at Large P Tsagaan will receive the Prime Minister at the airport.
From the airport, the Prime Minister in a ceremonial motorcade will be taken to ASEM Villa where she will be staying during the visit.
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On Friday, the Premier will attend the inaugural session of the Summit. President of Mongolia Tskhiazin Elbegdorj will receive Sheikh Hasina on her arrival at the summit venue at Shangri-La Hotel.
Sheikh Hasina will take part in the first and second plenary sessions of the Summit and deliver speech on ASEM partnership and connectivity.
The Prime Minister will hold meetings with Swiss President Johan Schneider, Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni on Friday.
She will also attend a banquet to be hosted by the Mongolian President in honour of the guests at Mongol Gen at ASEM Village.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister will hold meetings with Myanmar President Htin Kyaw, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari, President of European Council Donald Tusk and President of European Commission Jean Claude Junker. She will also join a retreat session of the ASEM leaders.
The Bangladesh Premier, in the meeting with the world leaders, is likely to highlight the country's security situation and the government's firm commitment to tackle terrorism and extremism in the aftermath of two recent terror attacks in Bangladesh.
ASEM is a forum of 51 Asian and European countries and two regional organizations founded for deepening relations between Europe and Asia at all necessary levels to achieve a more balanced political and economic world order.
The exclusively Asian-European forum was officially established on 1 March 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand. ASEM member countries are: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Lao PDR, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, while the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat are the regional organisations involved.
Bangladesh joined the forum in 2012.