Hasina leaves for 3-nation tour tonight
November 21, 2010 00:00:00
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina starts her three-nation tour tonight (Sunday night) to Russia, Belgium and Japan with Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and Padma Bridge on top of her agenda, reports UNB.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister for Forests and Environment Hasan Mahmud.
Hasina will fly for Dubai by an Emirates flight. After arrival at Dubai international airport on Monday at 00:30 am (local time), she will make a three-hour stopover there.
The Prime Minister will fly for London Monday morning to catch a British Airways flight from Heathrow to visit St Petersburg, Russia. In St Petersburg, she will attend a high level plenary session of "Tiger Natural Habitat" conference. World leaders will gather in there in an effort to wrestle out an agreement on how to protect the world's approximately 3,200 wild tigers.
On the sidelines of the conference, Hasina will hold bilateral talks with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday morning. PMO office sources told UNB that the Prime Minister is expected to request Putin to expedite Russian financial and technical assistance to set up the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Bangladesh and Russia signed a framework agreement last May for Russian cooperation for Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant.
According to the agreement signed in Russia, Moscow will be responsible for the design and construction of nuclear power plant and research reactors as well as supply nuclear fuel and take back spent fuel.
Hasina is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the same day on the sidelines of the conference. Besides, the Prime Minister will attend a working brunch with Putin.
On Wednesday, Hasina will fly for Brussels via Frankfort. In Brussels, the Prime Minister will have a meeting with community leaders of expatriate Bangladeshis living in various European countries.
She will hold bilateral meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme Thursday afternoon.