Prime Minister leaves for Belgium Tuesday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave the country for Belgium tomorrow (Tuesday) to attend the ‘Global Gateway Forum’.

The Prime Minister is going there at the invitation of the European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen.

The ‘Global Gateway Forum’ will be held in Brussels on October 25-26.

A commercial flight (BG 207) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members will depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Dhaka at 11am.

The flight is scheduled to arrive at the Brussels Zaventem Airport at 1845 hrs on October 24 (Brussels time).
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at a curtain raiser press briefing at his ministry said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to Brussels will help take Bangladesh's ties with the European Union (EU) to a new height.

“Bangladesh and the EU are expected to announce the elevation of their 50-year partnership to a new height,” he said.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will have a number of meetings with leaders of European countries on the sidelines of the forum.

In the morning on October 25, she will have a bilateral meeting with Executive Vice President of the EC and European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

Later, the Bangladesh premier will have a bilateral meeting with the EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

After this bilateral meeting, a loan support agreement of 350 million Euros on the renewable energy sector will be signed between the Bangladesh government's Economic Relations Department (ERD) and European Investment Bank.

A grant agreement of 45 million Euros for Bangladesh's renewable energy sector will be signed between the European Commission and European Investment Bank.

And a 12 million Euros grant agreement between the Bangladesh government and European Commission will also be signed for Bangladesh's renewable energy sector.

During this visit, the Bangladesh government and European Commission will sign five different grant agreements of 70 million Euros on Bangladesh's Social sectors.

On the same day, Sheikh Hasina will attend the Global Gateway Forum's opening plenary session and deliver her speech.

She is scheduled to return home on October 27.