Abe arrives Saturday afternoon: his whirlwind tour itinerary

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will arrive in Dhaka on a 1-day official visit on Saturday. It will be the 1st Bangladesh tour by any Japanese prime minister in 15 years. Abe will lead a large delegation comprising 40 top businessmen and 50 media persons to Bangladesh. He will spend 23 hours in Dhaka before leaving for Sri Lankan capital Colombo on another 1-day trip. Foreign Ministry sources said Abe’s wife, Akie Abe, will be accompanying him. She will have her own programmes during the short tour of Bangladesh. According to whirlwind tour itinerary, Abe will arrive at 1pm on Saturday at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) International Airport by a special flight. His counterpart Sheikh Hasina will receive him at the VVIP terminal, where he will be accorded a guard of honour. He will go to the national memorial at Savar, from where he will come to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondhi. Abe will deliver a lecture at a Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum programme at Sonargoan Hotel, where he will stay. He will then go to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s office for the summit meeting. Before the official talks, they will have a tete-a-tete. Both leaders will witness the signing of the Japanese loan agreement. There will be a joint press announcement after the singing. From the PM’s office, Abe will call on President Md Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban. Leader of the opposition Raushon Ershad will meet him at Hotel Sonargaon before the banquet dinner Hasina will host for the Japanese premier. On Sunday morning, Abe will visit the Institute of Fine Arts before leaving Dhaka. He will witness an exhibition there. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will see him off at the airport around 11:00am, according to a news agency.