PM Hasina returns home after attending BRICS summit

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has returned home this morning after attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg of South Africa.

She attended the summit held on 22-24 August at the invitation of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

A regular flight of the Emirates Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:32am after a brief stopover at the Dubai International Airport in UAE.

The prime minister’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana and only daughter Saima Wazed accompanied her.

Earlier, the flight departed from the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa at 2:00 pm on 26 August (Johannesburg time).

Before that, South Africa unit Awami League (AL) leaders met the prime minister at her place of residence, Hotel Hilton Sandton, in Johannesburg.

The prime minister arrived in Johannesburg on August 22 night to attend the BRICS Summit. South Africa hosted the historic summit of the BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It was the first BRICS Summit hosted in person since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese president Xi Jinping, Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi attended the summit.

On 23 August, the prime minister delivered a speech as the chief guest at the "Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit" jointly organised by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

Later, she attended the "Bangladesh Envoys Conference" organised by Bangladesh ambassadors stationed in African countries. In the afternoon, she had a bilateral meeting with Chinese president XI Jinping at the Hotel Hilton Sandton.

In the evening, the prime minister joined a cultural programme and "State Banquet" hosted by the current chair of BRICS and the South African president.

On 24 August, she addressed on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the "New Development Bank of BRICS" at Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) comprising representatives from 70 countries.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, bilateral meetings between Sheikh Hasina and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, president of Tanzania Saima Sulluhu and Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi were held at Sandton Convention Centre.

A meeting was also held between prime minister Sheikh Hasina and president of the New Development Bank Dilma Vana Rousseff at the same venue.

During the meetings, the five dignitaries highly praised Bangladesh's remarkable development under Sheikh Hasina's prudent leadership, Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen said in a media briefing.

In the evening, she met the Bangladeshi expatriates living in South Africa.