Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and US President Donald Trump are expected to have their first meeting in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic-American Summit, according to a Foreign Ministry source.
Hasina will leave for Riyadh Saturday evening.
Bangladesh has been trying to set up a meeting between Hasina and Trump on the sidelines of the summit, the diplomatic source said.
The summit will be held at King Abdul Aziz Convention Centre on Sunday.
The US president and 41 leaders of Islamic nations will discuss and try to find ways for forging stronger and effective security cooperation to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
Hasina would highlight Bangladesh's recent success in combating terrorism and extremism and Dhaka's stance against this global phenomena.
When asked about the possibility of a Hasina-Trump meeting in Riyadh, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters on Thursday: “Let's see. We are working on it."
Hasina was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his election victory and hoped the existing bilateral relations between the two nations would be further strengthened under Trump.
During the three-day event, there will be three summits in Riyadh – Saudi-US Summit, Gulf Cooperation Council-US Summit and Arab-Islamic-American Summit.
The Saudi king had earlier invited the leaders of the member countries, including Bangladesh, of the Saudi-led 41-nation Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) to the conferences.
The Riyadh summit aims to establish a partnership in the Islamic world to combat extremism and terrorism, strengthen safety and sustainability, and expand values of coexistence and patience.
Various other issues, including the Palestine crisis, and ongoing geopolitical issues are expected to be discussed.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
