President Bhandari to pay official visit to Bangladesh later this month

Published On: March 11, 2021 07:15 PM NPT By: Santosh Ghimire | @journonepali

File photo: Republica

KATHMANDU, March 11: President Bidya Devi Bhandari will pay an official visit to Bangladesh later this month, government sources said on Thursday.

Tika Dhakal, a press advisor to President Bhandari, told Republica that the two governments are currently making preparations for the president's visit. "However, exact dates for the visit have yet to be confirmed," he said.

A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the president's visit is awaiting the cabinet approval. "Once it gets a cabinet nod, we will officially announce the date of the visit," the official said requesting anonymity.

If things go as planned, President Bhandari will reach Dhaka on March 22, the official said. The visit could last for two to three days.

President Bhandari is scheduled to attend a special function being organized by Bangladeshi government to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country's independence.

The Bangladeshi government has drawn up a 10-day program to be hosted at the capital's National Parade Square to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation of Bangladesh. President Bhandari will be one of the foreign leaders to attend the program in Dhaka, according to a report published by Dhaka-based The Daily Star newspaper.

The gala celebrations will be held from March 17 to March 26, the report quoted Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters.

As reported by The Daily Star, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam confirmed that Nepali President Bhandari is one of the foreign leaders to join the gala celebration being organized to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari are scheduled to join the celebration, according to media reports.