Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves here for Sri Lanka on Thursday afternoon on a two-day official tour of Sri Lanka to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, 2013 to be held in Colombo.
A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her 47-member entourage will depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:00 pm.
Representatives of the government of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh high commissioner to Sri Lanka Md Sufiur Rahman will receive Sheikh Hasina on her arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and Ambassador at-Large M Ziauddin will accompany the Prime Minister during her tour.
Hasina will then reach Taj Somudra Hotel through a ceremonial motorcade where she will be staying during her visit.
Later in the evening, Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will call on the Bangladesh premier at the Taj Somudra Hotel.
On Friday morning, Hasina will reach the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theater in Colombo where she will be greeted at the lobby by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Madam Shiranthi Wickramasinghe Rajapaksa, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and her wife Sharma.
Hasina will then attend the opening ceremony of the CHOGM where Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott and the Prince of Wales will deliver their addresses.
After attending an official photo session, Hasina will then depart for Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center, SBMEC where she will attend the Executive Session of CHOGM I. She will then meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).
The Prime Minister will then attend a reception to be hosted by Commonwealth Secretary General for Heads of government to meet civil society and media representatives at BMICH.
Hasina will then take part in the CHOGM Executive Session II at SBMEC before meeting New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at BMICH on Friday evening before departing Bandaranaike International Airport for Dhaka at 8:00 pm (local time).
The Prime Minister is expected to return home on Friday midnight.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is held after every two years to enable leaders of Commonwealth countries to come together to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, and to decide on collective policies and initiatives.
This year, CHOGM is taking place in Sri Lanka, the first time an Asian country is hosting the summit in 24 years.
Every CHOGM is jointly organised by the host country and the Commonwealth Secretariat. These biennial meetings serve as the principal policy and decision-making forum to guide the strategic direction of the association.
Source: UNB Connect
