PM Hasina arrives in Brussels to attend Global Gateway Forum

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Brussels on Tuesday to attend the "Global Gateway Forum" to be held on 25-26 October at the invitation of the European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen.

A commercial flight (BG 207) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed at the Brussels Zaventem Airport, Belgium at 6.30 pm  (Brussels time).

Bangladesh Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub Hassan Saleh received the prime minister at the airport.

Earlier, the flight departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Dhaka at 11:10 am (BD time).

During the visit, the prime minister will have a number of meetings with leaders of European countries on the sidelines of the forum.

In the morning on 25 October, she will have a bilateral meeting with Executive Vice President of the EC and European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

Later, the Bangladesh prime minister will have a bilateral meeting with the EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

After this bilateral meeting, a loan support agreement of 350 million Euros on the renewable energy sector will be signed between the Bangladesh government's Economic Relations Department (ERD) and European Investment Bank.

A grant agreement of 45 million Euros for Bangladesh's renewable energy sector will be signed between the European Commission and European Investment Bank.

And a 12 million Euros grant agreement between the Bangladesh government and EC will also be signed for Bangladesh's renewable energy sector.

During this visit, the Bangladesh government and EC will sign five different grant agreements of 70 million Euros on Bangladesh's Social sectors.

On the same day, Sheikh Hasina will attend the Global Gateway Forum's opening plenary session and deliver her speech.

In the afternoon, European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer will hold a meeting with the prime minister.

EC Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic and EC Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen will pay a courtesy call on the Bangladesh prime minister.

In the evening, the prime minister will attend a dinner hosted by Ursula von der Leyen in honour of the heads of state and government participating in the Global Gateway Forum.

On 26 October, she will hold a bilateral meeting with her Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo.

The prime minister will also hold a bilateral meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

In the afternoon on the same day, Sheikh Hasina will attend a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates living in Belgium.

TV channel EURONEWS and POLITICO are scheduled to interview the Bangladesh prime minister.

She is scheduled to return home on 27 October.