— Focusbangla photo
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia on Friday afternoon on a five-day official visit at the invitation of Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 4:15 pm, reports United News of Bangladesh.
The flight is expected to reach Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport at 8:00 pm (local time) the same day.
Bangladesh ambassador to Saudi Arabia and permanent representative to the OIC Golam Masih, Bangladesh consul general in Jeddah AKM Shahidul Karim and a representative of the Saudi government will receive Sheikh Hasina at the airport.
Upon her arrival at the airport, the prime minister will be given a guard of honour. Later, she will be taken to Jeddah Royal Conference Palace in a ceremonial motorcade where she would be staying during her stay in Jeddah.
It will be the first visit of the Bangladesh Prime to Saudi Arabia after the swearing-in of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the King.
Sheikh Hasina will perform holy Umrah at Haram Sharif in Makkah on Friday night and offer Fazr prayers on Saturday.
She is likely to lay the foundation stone of Bangladesh Chancery Complex and Bangladesh House, Riyadh at a function at Jeddah on Saturday evening.
On Sunday afternoon, Sheikh Hasina will hold bilateral talks with the Saudi king at the Al Salam Palace at Al Andalus in Jeddah where the entire gamut of bilateral interest, regional and international issues would be discussed.
Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz is expected to welcome the Bangladesh prime minister at the palace.
‘The expansion of Bangladesh labour market in Saudi Arabia, bilateral trade, Saudi support for uplift projects and hajj management will dominate bilateral talks between prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during her Saudi visit June 3-7,” foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told a news briefing here on Wednesday.
He said the prime minister will lead a high-powered delegation comprising the foreign minister, senior officials, members of the elite and a business group during the visit.
On Sunday morning, a number of Saudi ministers and senior officials would call on Sheikh Hasina at Jeddah Royal Conference Palace.
Saudi deputy minister for defence Salman bin Sultan Al Saud and adviser of the royal council of the Saudi king Yaser Al Mian will meet the prime minister in the evening at the same place.
On Monday morning, Hasina will leave Jeddah for Madina by air. After arrival at the Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madina, she would be taken to Madina Hilton where she will be staying during her visit to Madina.
She will offer sr and maghrib prayers at Masjid-e-Nababi in Madina and offer ziarat at the grave of Rawza Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).
The prime minister will leave prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madina for home at 10.30 am on Tuesday morning. She is scheduled to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 7.30 pm (BST) the same day.
Hasina earlier visited Saudi Arabia in April 2009 after assuming office as the prime minister at the invitation of the then king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. She also visited Saudi Arabia in November, 2013 to perform Umrah.
Source: New Age