A red carpet was rolled out to accord a warm reception to prime minister Sheikh Hasina as she arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon on a six-day official visit to Thailand at the invitation of her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin.
On her arrival at Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok at 1:08pm (local time), the prime minister was received by Puangpet Chunlaiad, minister attached to the Thai Prime Minister’s Office.
She was given a guard of honour and a 19-round gun salute at the airport.
Earlier, the Bangladesh prime minister left Dhaka on a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at 10:13am (Bangladesh time) to pay for the six-day tour, which is both a bilateral and multilateral visit.
During her visit on April 24-29, the Bangladesh prime minister will hold bilateral talks with prime minister Thavisin and also attend the 80th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Bangladesh and Thailand will sign some cooperation documents including a letter of intent on negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries.
Bangladesh and Thailand are likely to sign an agreement on visa exemption for official passport holders, a Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation while two more MoUs on tourism sector cooperation and duty-related cooperation to expand the relations, foreign minister Hasan Mahmud told a media briefing on Monday.
On April 26, the Bangladesh prime minister will be formally received by her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin while a ceremonial guard of honor will be accorded to her.
On the same day, the Bangladesh premier will hold bilateral talks with prime minister Thavisin at the Government House (Prime Minister’s Office) following a tete-a-tete between the two leaders, witness the signing of the documents, participate in a joint press conference and then attend a state lunch to be hosted by her Thai counterpart in her honour there.
During the visit, the prime minister will have a Royal audience of Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshan, king and queen of the Kingdom of Thailand at the palace.
In her multilateral engagement, Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to attend the 80th Session of ESCAP and deliver a speech on April 25.
On the same day, the under secretary general of the United Nations and ESCAP executive secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjabana will call on the prime minister.
The prime minister is expected to return home on April 29.
