Sri Lankan President Sirisena arrives in Dhaka

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has arrived in Dhaka for his three-day visit.

Sirisena arrived at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:25am by Sri Lankan Airlines and was received by Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid.

Two children presented the Sri Lankan president with flowers and welcomed him to Bangladesh.

Sirisena was given a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour by Bangladesh’s armed forces at the airport’s VIP terminal.

 

Sirisena is scheduled to visit the National Memorial in Savar on Thursday afternoon to pay respects to the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

He will also visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 to pay homage to the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Coastal shipping and visa waiver of diplomatic and official passport holders are among the key deals to be signed.

Other deals expected to be signed include cooperation in agriculture, education, investment, information and communication technology, agreements between the two central banks, foreign service institutes, between Bangladesh's think-tank BIISS and Sri Lanka’s LKIIRSS, and radio, TV and films.

Besides, a deal will be signed for cooperation between two standards testing institutions, news agencies, Chittagong BGMEA Fashion Institute and Sri Lanka Textile and Apparel Institute, apart from economic cooperation.

The bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take place on Friday and issues of trade, investment, agriculture, fisheries, coastal shipping, education, information technology and visas will be discussed.

The two-way trade between the countries is only $80 million, but there is potential to expand the market.

Bangladesh is in talks with Sri Lanka for a free trade agreement or FTA, according to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.