Bangladesh is in a mood to welcome several foreign dignitaries within a week. These dignitaries are from North America to neighbouring India. Most of them are to visit Bangladesh for official purpose except Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of the current President of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard arrives today (Monday) to open a conference on 'Bangladesh on the road to Copenhagen - towards a global deal on climate change at COP15, December 2009'.The conference takes place on February 3 at a star Hotel in the capital. During her stay, Hedegaard will meet with government leaders and visit climate change vulnerable areas in the country's southern coastal belt.
Richard Boucher, the US’s senior assistant secretary of state, is scheduled to arrive in the capital on February 8 for a three-day visit. This is the first high-level visit by an American dignitary since the installation of the two new governments in Dhaka and Washington in January. The issues related to cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States in counter-terrorism as well as reaching at a deal on the proposed Trade and Investment Framework Agreement would feature prominently in the talks during Boucher’s visit. Boucher will hold important meetings with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and some other leaders of the government, said Touhid Hossain the foreign secretary, to the local press.
Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of the current President of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, will arrive in Dhaka on February 3 afternoon to get a first-hand experience of rural development projects run by BRAC. Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain confirmed the visit of Priyanka and said she will be visiting at the invitation of the BRAC the largest NGO in the world. He said that the government would provide adequate security to her and the home ministry has given necessary instruction in this regard. Sources also said, during the brief visit, Priyanka is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud.
Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is also scheduled for a two-day goodwill visit to Dhaka from February 9, 2009; earlier the date was fixed for February 8. It is expected that Dhaka and Delhi will discuss the much talked about issue of setting up of a South Asian task force for addressing terrorism and militancy. Bangladesh foreign ministry officials informed that Indian foreign minister will come to Dhaka to convey the good wishes of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He would have a bilateral discussion with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni, where the pending issues of reduction in trade gap, providing equal share of water in the Ganges and stopping of the killing of innocent Bangladeshis on the border areas might come up.
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