PM leaves Dhaka on 3-nation visit tonight

---

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will fly to Dubai en route to Moscow tonight (Saturday) on a 12-day visit to Russia, Belgium and Japan, reports BSS.
A number of deals, including one relating to installing Roopur nuclear power plant, are expected to be signed between Dhaka and Moscow during Russia visit while in Japan the Bangladesh Premier will seek assurance from the Japanese government that it would fund for construction of the much- desired Padma Bridge, foreign ministry sources said.
In Russia, Sheikh Hasina will have bilateral talks with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on November 23. She will join a high-level plenary relating to Natural Habitat of Tigers and address a session on the matter.
Sheikh Hasina will join a working lunch to be hosted by the Russian PM in honour of delegates of different countries and visit the office of honourary consular general of Bangladesh in St. Petersburg.
She will leave St. Petersburg for Frankfurt, Germany en route to Brussels, Belgium on November 14 afternoon.
In Brussels, Sheikh Hasina will have separate talks with President of European Union Council Van Rompuy, President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leteme focusing on various bilateral and international issues. Besides, Bangladeshi community living in Belgium will accord a mass reception to Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the afternoon of November 26.
The PM will leave Brussels for Frankfurt on November 27 en route to Tokyo, Japan and reach Narita International Airport the next day.
During her five-day official visit to Japan, the Bangladesh Premier will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and also have an audience with Emperor Akihito.
She will address a number of investment conferences and hold meetings with representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan External Trade Organisation, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to discuss investment, economic cooperation and development issues.
The PM will also address a meeting at Peace Park in Hiroshima and lay the foundation of Bangladesh Embassy building in Tokyo.