Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves Sweden for Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left Sweden for Bangladesh after wrapping up a first-ever three-day official visit at the invitation of her Swedish counterpart.

A British Airways flight took off at 1:30pm Friday with the prime minister and her entourage for London. A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight will carry them to Dhaka after a three-hour stopover at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The flight is due to land in Dhaka on Saturday.

Golam Sarwar, the ambassador of Bangladesh to Sweden, bid farewell to Hasina before she left Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Hasina is the first Bangladesh head of government to be on a bilateral visit to the Scandinavian nation. Her Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven had invited her.

The premier reached Sweden on Wednesday night and had stayed at Stockholm’s Grand Hotel during her stay.

The next morning she paid a visit to the Swedish parliament from where she was escorted to The Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch.

Carl XVI Gustaf, the king of Sweden, welcomed her at the palace and they held a meeting.

Löfven and Hasina sat for both private and bilateral meetings which the latter has described as "very fruitful" and they both "agreed to deepen and widen relations, particularly by promoting more two-way trade and investments."

The Awami League chief held separate meetings with the deputy prime minister and the justice and migration minister of Sweden.

She also attended a reception organised by Bangladeshi immigrants there.

On Friday morning, the premier held meetings with the president and chief executive of global garment brand H&M and then took part in a discussion arranged by Bangladesh-Sweden Business and Investment Forum at the office of Löfven.

Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, FBCCI President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Executive Chairman Kazi Aminul Islam, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, Prime Minister's Office Secretary Suraiya Begum accompanied the prime minister during her visit.