Hasina leaves for Saudi Arabia on five-day visit at King Salman’s invitation

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left for Saudi Arabia for a five-day visit at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying Hasina and her entourage took off from Shahjalal International Airport around 4:15pm on Friday.

The flight is scheduled to land at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport at 8pm local time.

This is Hasina’s first visit to Saudi Arabia since King Salman was crowned.

She visited the kingdom last in November 2013 when she went to perform Umrah.

The prime minister is accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana and top government officials including Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and her Principal Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, among others.

A 10-strong business delegation is also going with her that includes Beximco Vice-Chairman Salman F Rahman, FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad, S Alam Group Chairman Md Saiful Alam and Meghna Group Director Mostofa Kamal, among others.

Hasina will perform Umrah at Makkah later on Friday night and say Fazr prayers there.

She will stay at the Jeddah Royal Conference Palace during her visit.

On Saturday afternoon, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of Bangladesh Chancery Complex and Bangladesh House in Riyadh through a programme at Jeddah.

Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi king on Sunday at the Al Salam Palace at Al Andalus in Jeddah.

At a press briefing on Thursday, the foreign minister said the two leaders will discuss the issues of bilateral and regional interests, as well as international, during this meeting.

Mahmood Ali has said the Saudi leaders including the deputy crown prince, deputy prime minister, defence minister, foreign minister, labour minister and finance minister will call on Hasina during her stay there.

Deals on foreign office consultancy, cultural cooperation and information and communication technology are also expected to be signed during the visit, according to Ali.

According to government data, 1.28 million Bangladeshis are currently in Saudi Arabia as workers, making the kingdom Bangladesh’s biggest labour market.

On Monday, the prime minister is scheduled to go to Madina and visit the shrine of Prophet Mohammad.

She is scheduled to return from Medina to Dhaka on Tuesday evening.