Bangladesh rolled out the red carpet for Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay as he arrived in the capital on Saturday morning for a two-day state visit.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus received the visiting dignitary at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), according to Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser.
A Drukair flight carrying Prime Minister Tobgay and his entourage landed at the airport around 8:15am. The two leaders held a brief meeting at the airport’s VVIP lounge, during which Tobgay expressed condolences for the casualties and damage caused by Friday’s earthquake.
Following the meeting, Tobgay was escorted to a makeshift saluting dais, where he received a 19-gun salute and a guard of honour in a formal welcome ceremony.
After the airport reception, the Bhutanese Prime Minister departed for the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital to pay tribute to the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War. He will placed wreaths at the altar and signed the visitors’ book before planting a Bakul sapling on the memorial grounds.
In the afternoon, Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin are scheduled to meet the Bhutanese leader. Prime Minister Tobgay will also hold a tête-à-tête with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon around 3pm.
The day will conclude with an official state banquet in honour of the Bhutanese Prime Minister.
