Staff Reporter:
Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is scheduled to arrive here today on a four-day offi-cial visit marking the maiden tour by any head of state after the current Awami League government tak-ing over the charge as the fourth consecutive term.
“This visit will be considered as a milestone in Bangladesh’s international cooperation” said foreign min-ister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a curtain raiser press briefing at the foreign ministry here.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the First Lady will receive the king amid gun-salute and guard of honor.
The king is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10 am on Monday by a spe-cial flight, foreign ministry sources said.
After the ceremony at the airport, the king will go to Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On Monday afternoon, the Bhutanese King will have a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office. They will have tete-a-tete (one-to-one) meeting, too.
The two sides are likely to sign a number of MoUs after the meeting.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud will meet the king at his place of residence on the same day before the meeting with the prime minister.
On Tuesday, the king will visit the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar.
Along with the president and prime minister, the king will attend the ceremony at the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar.
The king will also visit Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The king will have a meeting with the president at 4:30pm on Tuesday.
The president will host an Iftar and dinner in honor of the visiting royal.
On Wednesday morning, the Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, Queen of Bhutan and selected Bhutanese delegation members will leave Bangladesh for Bhutan by a special flight.
Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Rehana and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will see them off at the airport.
The Bhutanese king will also visit Padma Bridge and Bangladesh Special Economic Zone, Araihazar, Narayanganj.
On Thursday, the king will visit Kurigram Special Economic Zone.
He will leave Bangladesh territory for Golakganj, Assam via Sonahat Land Port on Thursday afternoon.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for shipping will see him off there.
The 4th King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, sent a letter of congratulations to the prime minister recently saying under her dynamic and strong leadership, Bangladesh has enjoyed peace, stability and unprecedented economic development.
He also termed Bhutan as a “close friend” and rejoiced with the people of Bangladesh on this occasion.
Bhutan was the first country to recognize the newly independent Bangladesh on December 6,1971 when the 3rd King of Bhutan sent a message of recognition by telegram.
Since then Bangladesh and Bhutan have been sharing a special multidimensional bilateral relationship.
Immediately after the independence, the Bhutanese government took an initiative to establish diplomatic relations with Bangladesh and, consequently, formal diplomatic relations were established on 12 April 1973.
