Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka on September 15 for her trip to the United Kingdom and the United States to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and attend the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen gave the information at a press conference held at the foreign ministry on Wednesday on the visit.
The minister said the prime minister will arrive in London on September 15 and from there she will fly to New York to attend UN General Assembly on September 20.
The prime minister will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on September 19.
Sheikh Hasina will deliver a speech at the UNGA session on September 23. Her speech will call upon the international community to come forward to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
She will also urge the world community to resolve conflict through discussion instead of imposing sanctions against any country unilaterally.
“Post-pandemic recovery, the impact of Ukraine war, climate change and Palestine issue will be featured in her speech,” the foreign minister said.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, Bangladesh will organise two events on the Rohingya issue in presence of the prime minister. A photography exhibition on the Padma Bridge will also be held inside the UN complex during the session.
The theme of this year’s UNGA debate is ‘A watershed moment: Transforming solutions to interlocking challenges.’
The prime minister is scheduled to attend several high-level events including the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders to be held on September 20.
She will also attend the meeting of the ‘Champions of the Global Crisis Response Group’ to be held on September 21.
The prime minister will stay in Washington from September 25 to October 1. She is likely to meet senior officials of the Biden administration during this time.
However, the prime minister’s schedule during her stay in Washington is yet to be finalised, the foreign minister added.
Responding to a question, the foreign minister said that the issue of sanctions imposed on the RAB by the US administration will come up during meetings between officials of Bangladesh and the US.
“They imposed the sanction without giving any specific reasons,” the minister noted.
Asked about Bangladesh's submission at the UNGA in regard to resolving the Rohingya crisis, which has been prolonged for the last five years, the minister said, “We will project the issue in a bigger way.”
“We will tell the world community that despite the passage of the five years, the crisis cannot be resolved and Myanmar fails to take back their citizen though they had agreed to do so”.
Regarding the recent tension on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, he said that the government had taken a decision not to allow any Rohingya to enter Bangladesh.
“The border has been sealed. We have heard that there is a conflict between the Myanmar government forces and the insurgent Arakan Army inside their territory,” the minister said.
Asked whether he will accompany the Prime Minister in the upcoming trip as he was absent during PM’s recent India tour, the minister said that everything is determined by the wish of the almighty.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com