Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves for Sweden

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left for Sweden via London on Tuesday for the first-ever bilateral visit by a Bangladesh head of state to Stockholm.

A VIP Biman Bangladesh flight left Dhaka with the prime minister and her delegation on Tuesday at 12:10pm.

The flight is scheduled to arrive in London on Tuesday night Bangladesh time.

Hasina will stopover in London for a day to spend time with family members. Her niece Tulip Siddiq has been re-elected MP in the British elections on Jun 8.

The prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Stockholm on Wednesday night local time, said her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim. 

The Swedish prime minister had invited her Bangladesh counterpart for the visit, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali had said at a press briefing on Sunday.

This visit would “deepen and expand” the cooperation between the countries and would also “brighten” Bangladesh’s image in Europe.

Two Memorandum of Understanding or MoUs on Sweden-Bangladesh Business Council and Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industries are also expected to be signed. A joint statement will also be issued after the visit.

A 47-member business delegation will also accompany the prime minister.

During her visit to Sweden on Jun 15 and 16, she would meet her counterpart in a bilateral meeting. Besides, the PM will also meet deputy prime minister, acting speaker and minister for justice and migration.

She will also meet the chief executives of some Swedish companies.

Sweden was one of the first countries in Europe that supported Bangladesh in 1971.  Feb 4, 2017 marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Bangladesh exports garments worth $5 billion every year to Sweden to one of its known brands H&M.

The foreign minister said the visit would strengthen the bilateral cooperation and bring investment and strengthen ties in the field of migration, climate change, UN peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism and extremism. Bangladesh’s all products enter in Sweden with duty-free market access.

The prime minister will leave for Dhaka on Jun 16 and arrive on Saturday.