Shawdesh Desk:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Glasgow, the port city of Scotland, on Sunday afternoon on a two-week visit to the United Kingdom and France to attend the COP26 world leaders’ summit and other high-level events.

“A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at the Prestwick Airport in Glasgow at 2.55pm (local time) Sunday,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS.

Bangladeshi High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem received the Prime Minister at the airport.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid are accompanying the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister, who left the Hazrat Shajalal International Airport in Dhaka for Glasgow at 9.27am on Sunday, will return home on November 14.

According to the scheduled programme, she will stay in Glasgow on November 1-2, in London on November 3-8 and in Paris on November 9-13. The Prime Minister will address the COP26 main event alongside taking part in its inaugural session today (November 1).

She is expected to inaugurate a roadshow in the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday (November 4) to attract more foreign direct investment in Bangladesh and will attend the “Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Sustainable Growth Partnership.”

She will also handover the “UNESCO-Bangladesh, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy” at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

During her stay in the UK and France, she will hold bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, apart from other heads of state and government.

The UK’s Prince Charles and the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates, Bill Gates will also pay courtesy calls on the Prime Minister.

During her stay in Glasgow, on November 1 morning, the Prime Minister will attend a side event titled “CFV-Commonwealth High level Panel Discussion on Climate Prosperity Partnership” at the Commonwealth pavilion on Scottish Event Campus.

The premier will hold a meeting with Commonwealth General Secretary Patricia Scotland QC.

She will attend the inaugural ceremony of the COP26 and address the programme at the same venue. Sheikh Hasina will also hold a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The premier will attend the meeting of the leaders titled “Action and solidarity-the Critical Decade” at the British Pavilion.

In the afternoon, Bill Gates, the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates will pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Hasina.

The premier will attend a VVIP reception of the COP26.

In the evening, Sheikh Hasina will virtually attend a civic reception to be accorded by the Bangladeshi community living in Scotland.

In the morning on November 2, the Prime Minister will attend a high level panel on “Women and Climate Change” at the COP26 venue.

Sheikh Hasina will hold a meeting with first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon at the bilateral meeting booth. She will later attend the Commonwealth Reception.

In the afternoon, Prince Charles will pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Hasina.

The premier will hold a bilateral meeting with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the UK meeting room.

She will also call on Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the bilateral meeting booth.

Sheikh Hasina will attend a side event titled “Forging a CVF COP26 Climate Emergency Pact” at meeting Room-4 of the ground floor.

The premier will attend the closing ceremony of the World Leaders Summit.

In the evening, she will attend a programme at the Scottish Parliament to be hosted by speaker of the parliament Alison Johnstone.

She will address a programme on “Bangladesh Vision for Global climate prosperity” at the Scottish Parliament.

On November 3, the Prime Minister and her entourage members will leave Glasgow for London by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at noon.

On that day, Speaker of the British Parliament Sir Lindsay Hoyle will pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Hasina.

The premier will attend some important events there including “Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Sustainable Growth Partnership”, and a civic reception of the Bangladesh community living in London.

On November 9, she and her entourage members will leave London for Paris by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in the morning.

Sheikh Hasina will call on President of France Emmanuel Macron at Elyse Palace on that day.

On the same day, she will also hold a bilateral meeting with France Prime Minister Jean Castex at his official residence of France, Matignon.

The Prime Minister will also attend some important events there including the prize giving ceremony of the “UNESCO-Bangladesh, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy” at UNESCO Headquarters and 75th anniversary of the UNESCO at the same venue.

Sheikh Hasina will virtually attend a civic reception of the Bangladesh community living in France on November 13.

She is expected to leave Paris for home on November 13 and reach Dhaka on November 14.