PM returns home from Abu Dhabi

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has returned home, wrapping up her weeklong visit to Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 6:28am on Wednesday.

The flight departed Abu Dhabi International Airport for Dhaka in the early hours (12:45am local time) on Wednesday, where Mohammad Imran, the Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE, saw her off.

On February 14, the prime minister left Dhaka for Germany on her first overseas tour in her third consecutive term in office to attend a security conference in Munich and a defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

She joined the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2019 held in Munich, Germany, and the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX-2019) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

During her stay in Munich, Sheikh Hasina also attended a community reception arranged by the Awami League unit in Europe, and a dinner program hosted by President of the World Economic Forum Børge Brende and CEO of Jigsaw Jared Cohen.

Additionally, President and CEO of Siemens AG Joe Kaeser, CEO of Veridos Hans Wolfgang Kunz, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Beatrice Fihn and Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Dr Bensouda, all met her separately during her stay there.

Following the meeting of Siemens CEO with the prime minister, the Power Division of Bangladesh and Siemens of Germany signed a document for the construction of a 3,600MW LNG power plant at Payra in Bangladesh.

On February 16, Sheikh Hasina left Munich for Abu Dhabi and visited the International Defence Exhibition on Sunday, which was arranged by the UAE.

A UAE business delegation, led by its Economic Minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, met the prime minister on Sunday and expressed interest to expand the UAE business in Bangladesh by making investments in various sectors, like energy, the port and industrial zones, in a newer way.

During her stay in Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh and the UAE on Sunday signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on establishing a port, industrial park, the supply and setting up of an LNG terminal, power plants and a special economic zone in Bangladesh.

The government of Dubai and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) authority under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) signed the first MoU to set up a port, dry port and an industrial park in Bangladesh.

The second MoU was signed between Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh to supply LNG to Bangladesh on a long-term basis and develop a land-based LNG receiving terminal in Payra.

The third MoU was signed between Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum and the Power Development Board of Bangladesh (PDB).

The fourth MoU was signed between the private office of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

On Monday, Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at his Royal Palace.

On Tuesday, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Group Yusuff Ali and Founder and Chairman of NMC Dr B R Shetty called on the prime minister at her hotel suite in Abu Dhabi.

During the meetings, the two UAE business giants, Lulu Group International and NMC, expressed their keen interest in investing in different sectors of Bangladesh, including healthcare, shopping mall, hotels and tourism sectors.