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Published : 25 Mar 2024, 11:30 AM
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Consort Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, the first country to recognise the independent nation of Bangladesh at its birth, have arrived in Dhaka for a four-day visit.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and First Lady Rebecca Sultana gave a warm welcome to the royal couple at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:15am on Monday.
The red carpet was rolled out for the visit and a team of the armed forces offered a guard of honour.
During his visit, the king will join the national celebration of Independence Day. He is also expected to sign four Memoranda of Understanding and pacts.
King Wangchuck will pay his tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and visit the memorial museum at Road No. 32 in Dhanmondi.
A courtesy visit with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has been scheduled for the evening on Monday. The MoUs will be signed in the presence of the prime minister.
The establishment of a burn and plastic surgery unit in Thimphu, a special economic zone dedicated to Bhutan in Kurigram and technological cooperation to ensure consumer protection was part of the MoUs.
An existing pact in the cultural sector will be renewed as well.
A burn and plastic surgery unit in Thimphu will bring broader benefits to the people in the region, while the special economic zone will ensure more trade, business and employment opportunities in the northern part of Bangladesh, as well as escalate the bilateral trade and investment between Bangladesh and Bhutan, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said earlier.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh’s Independence Day, the Bhutanese monarch will pay his homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War.
He is likely to visit the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on the same day and meet President Shahabuddin in the evening.
The king’s itinerary includes a visit to the Padma Bridge and the Bangladesh Special Economic Zone in Narayanganj’s Araihazar on Wednesday.
He is scheduled to fly back on Thursday after visiting the Special Economic Zone in Kurigram.
