KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has reached Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, on a two-day state visit on Monday.
A flight of narrow-body Airbus A320 of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), carrying the president along with her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:45 am.
The red carpet was rolled out as President Bhandari reached in Dhaka. This is the first visit by a Nepal president to Dhaka.
She is the third among world leaders to attend the celebrations of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Bhandari was given a guard of honor with a 21-gun salute by a contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force at the HISA.
President Abdul Hamid and President Bhandari enjoyed the state honor while the national anthems of the respective states were played.
The state guest also inspected the parade and subsequently both the presidents introduced the respective countries’ delegation to each other.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujon, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira, among others, were present at the airport.
Besides, the cabinet secretary, chiefs of the three services, principal secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), foreign secretary, IGP, and secretaries concerned with the President’s office were also present.
Bhandari will pay tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar.
President will sign the visitors’ book and plant a sapling there.
She will also visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 to pay tributes to Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Later in the afternoon, she will attend the National Parade Square (Ground) function at Tejgaon as the guest of honor where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive her.
A foreign ministry source said President Bhandari is scheduled to deliver a statement on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary.
President Bhandari will also pay a courtesy call on her Bangladeshi counterpart M Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban.
In the evening, she will sign a visitors’ book there and is scheduled to enjoy a cultural function followed by dinner reception at the state dining hall.
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