Hasina welcomes Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering

Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering has arrived in Dhaka on a four-day diplomatic visit. He was greeted to a warm reception at the airport by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday.

Tshering and his aides landed in Shahjalal International Airport at 8.08 am.

The Bhutanese premier was given a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the armed forces after being received by Sheikh Hasina at the airport’s VVIP lounge.

Lotay Tshering, a Mymensingh Medical College alumnus, is visiting Bangladesh for the first time since taking office as prime minister. He will also be joining the Bangla New Year celebrations.

This is also the first visit by a foreign head of government since the Awami League formed government for a third successive term after winning the Dec 30 polls.

The government hopes to bolster trade relations between the two countries by providing Bhutan the opportunity to use Bangladesh’s inland waterways as well as signing a few treaties and memoranda of understanding in the health and agriculture sectors.

There has been no significant increase in the trade between Bangladesh and Bhutan - the first country to formally acknowledge Bangladesh as a sovereign country - despite having a friendly relationship. Bangladesh’s imports from Bhutan are worth $33 million but its exports are worth around $3 million.

The issue of allowing Bhutan to use the inland waterways and the land transit through India in a bid to enhance trade has been discussed at different times.

The Bhutanese government sought assistance from Bangladesh to develop its health sector when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Bhutan in 2017. Also, there were discussions on Bhutan having physicians from Bangladesh and helping medical students in Bhutan.

Lotay Tshering will pay tribute to the mural of Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 on Friday followed by a visit to the National Memorial in Savar to pay homage to the martyrs in the Liberation War.

He will also visit the Bhutan Embassy in Baridhara during the afternoon followed by a visit to Dharmarajik Buddhist Monastery at Sabujbagh in the evening.  He will also meet Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and members of the FBCCI.

Tshering will visit his alma mater Mymensingh Medical College and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on Sunday.