PM arrives in Dhaka, welcomed by Bangladeshi counterpart

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh for his two-day state visit, the Premier’s media division said.

PM Rajapaksa was received by his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

He departed for Bangladesh this morning (March 19) via UL-189 chartered by SriLankan Airlines.

Arrived to a warm welcome & guard of honor at the Hazrat Shahjalal Int. Airport in Dhaka, #Bangladesh and was received by PM Sheikh Hasina. I’m honored to be a part of the #GoldenJubilee Independence celebrations & look forward to the next two days of festivities & discussions. pic.twitter.com/PHz9J8XnMT

— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) March 19, 2021

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health had granted approval to undertake the state visit to Bangladesh as a BioSecure Travel Bubble adhering to strict COVID-19 preventive measures.

The state visit coincides with the celebration of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa is expected to deliver a speech this evening at the event to mark the conclusion of the “Mujib Year,” declared to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangladesh’s independence.
  
During the visit, Prime Minister Rajapaksa will hold high-level bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, President of Bangladesh Mohammad Abdul Hamid, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, and the Governor of the Bangladesh Bank.

The visit will also see the two countries sign a number of Memoranda of Understanding in various sectors such as agriculture, technical education, health, and cultural cooperation.

Among other engagements, Prime Minister Rajapaksa will visit the National Martyrs’ Memorial where he will lay a wreath to pay his respects to those who died in the Bangladesh War of Independence and plant a sapling. Later, the PM Rajapaksa will also visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.