President begins State visit to Bangladesh
April 18, 2011 09:48 am
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will begin Monday a three-day State visit to Bangladesh. Sri Lankan External Affairs ministry said that the visit would reaffirm and further reinforce the friendly and warm relations between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Several agreements in the areas of export promotion, business, shipping service, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, education and culture are expected to be signed during his April 18-20 visit.
According to reports reaching Colombo from Dhaka the special flight carrying the Sri Lankan President is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:30pm. President Zillur Rahman is expected to receive him. Rajapaksa will be given 21-gun salutes and a guard of honour by the three services.
Sri Lankan first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa will accompany the president who will lead a 54-member high-powered delegation. The delegation includes External Affairs Minister Prof GL Peiris, parliamentarians, top civil and military officials and an 11-member media team.
On arrival, Rajapaksa will lay a wreath at National Mausoleum at Savar and will hold a talk with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter’s office today.
The official talks will be followed by signing of several agreements. Before the talks with Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni will call on Rajapaksa.In the evening, Sheikh Hasina will host a dinner in honour of the Sri Lankan president and the first lady.
Rajapaksa will lay a wreath on the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Museum tomorrow. He will also visit Buddhist Temple at Merul Badda in the capital.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) will
host a luncheon in honour of the Sri Lankan president. Later in the evening,
Rajapaksa will call on President Zillur Rahman when the latter will host a
state banquet.
The Sri Lankan first lady will visit Proyash, a school for autistic children
in Dhaka Cantonment. She will also visit some other traditional attractions in
Dhaka.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the two countries will hold a joint
press conference on the outcome of the visit.
In the morning, the Sri Lankan president will meet with the Sri Lankan
community in Bangladesh and leave for Colombo at 2:00pm. Diplomatic relations
between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were established in 1972, the Government Information Dept reports.