PM off to Jakarta to attend Leaders' Summit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left Dhaka for Jakarta on a three-day official visit to Indonesia to attend the Leaders' Summit in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (Iora). A Biman Bangladesh Airlines VVIP flight carrying the prime minister and her entourage took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:55am on Monday, reports UNB. During the visit, she will also hold bilateral meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. The flight is scheduled to land at Halim Pardana Kusuma International Airport around 3pm. Female Empowerment and Children Protection Minister Yohana Susana and Bangladesh Ambassador to Indonesia Major General Azmal Kabir will receive Prime Minister Hasina at the airport. Hasina will then go through a ceremonial motorcade to Hotel Shangri-La at Central Jakarta City, a special capital region of Jakarta, where she will be staying during her visit. On the first day of her tour, Hasina will attend the Leaders' Welcoming Dinner at the Plenary Hall of Jakarta Convention Centre (JCC). She will join the opening ceremony at Assembly Hall 3 of the Jakarta Convention Centre on Tuesday. She will later attend the opening session of the summit on "Adoption of the Agenda and Programme of Work." Sheikh Hasina will then attend the general debate on "Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous Indian Ocean Rim" and deliver her statement in the event. The prime minister will join the social lunch to be hosted for the heads of delegation, and then hold bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. She will hold another bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. Hasina is also expected to join the closing ceremony of the summit. After concluding her three-day visit, she is scheduled to leave for Dhaka around 10:30am Indonesia time on Wednesday by a VVIP flight of Biman. The Biman flight carrying the prime minister is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2:40pm (BdST) the same day. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, and a 60-member business delegation, headed by FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmed, are accompanying the prime minister.