President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir welcomed Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Wednesday during the monarch’s brief stopover in Dhaka while travelling from Singapore to Bhutan.
The special aircraft carrying the Bhutanese King landed at the airport in the early hours of Wednesday and remained there for around an hour before departing for Bhutan at about 6:30am.
During the stopover, President Mirza Fakhrul held a courtesy meeting with King Jigme Khesar at the airport’s VVIP lounge.
The two leaders exchanged views in a cordial atmosphere on various issues of mutual interest.
The President invited the Bhutanese King and members of the royal family to visit Bangladesh on a state visit at a mutually convenient time.
In response, King Jigme Khesar invited the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh to visit Bhutan at their convenience.
The Bhutanese monarch congratulated Mirza Fakhrul on assuming office as President and conveyed his best wishes.
The President conveyed greetings from the people and government of Bangladesh to the King and members of the Bhutanese royal family, while the King extended his goodwill to the people and government of Bangladesh.
During the meeting, President Mirza Fakhrul said Bangladesh and Bhutan share deep-rooted and historic ties.
“Bhutan has always held a special place in our hearts, as it was the first country in the world to recognise Bangladesh on 6 December 1971,” he said.
The President also recalled with respect the affection and goodwill shown towards Bangladesh by the late King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, father of the current Bhutanese monarch.
Highlighting the shared aspirations of Bangladesh and Bhutan for development and prosperity, King Jigme Khesar stressed the need to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including education, trade and investment.
The Bhutanese King also briefed the President on his Gelephu Mindfulness City project and sought Bangladesh’s participation and cooperation in the initiative.
President Mirza Fakhrul expressed interest in the project and appreciated the initiative. He said Bangladesh was ready to work closely with Bhutan to advance transformative regional initiatives aimed at promoting mutual wellbeing, prosperity and sustainable development.
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh and senior government officials were present during the meeting.
