PM to leave Dhaka for Germany Thursday

Secretariat Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to leave Dhaka for Germany on Thursday.

She will also visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, according to sources of Foreign Affairs Ministry.

During her visit to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2019, scheduled for February 15-17, the prime minister is likely to have a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A diplomatic source said both sides will discuss issues of mutual interest at the meeting, on the sidelines of the conference.

Officials said the excellent Bangladesh-Germany bilateral relationship is a result of the friendship between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who also attended MSC 2017, and German Chancellor Merkel.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi, Member of the 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, Yang Jiechi, President of Ukraine Petro Poroschenko, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, are among the heads of state and government likely to attend the security conference this year.

According to the host’s website, US Vice President Mike Pence and acting secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan have confirmed their participation in MSC 2019, as part of the largest US delegation to ever attend the conference.

The US Congressional Delegation will be led by Senators Lindsey O Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Roger F Wicker, James Inhofe, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

The other confirmed participants include EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg , Executive Director of International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, and acting president of World Bank, Kristalina Georgieva.

The European Union's self-assertion, transatlantic cooperation, as well as possible consequences of a renewed era of great power competition are high on the agenda for MSC 2019.

Furthermore, experts from across the globe will discuss the future of arms control, and cooperation in defence policy.

UAE visit

From Germany, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit the UAE on Saturday, February 16, to attend the International Defence Exhibition and Conference 2019 to be held in Abu Dhabi.

The prime minister is likely to hold meetings with top UAE leaders, including Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE's Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, during the visit.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to return home on February 20.

risingbd/Dhaka/February 12, 2019/Hassan/AKA