German, French, Foreign Ministers in Dhaka

German Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrived in Dhaka together on Monday morning on a brief 14-hour visit to get the firsthand experience of climate change impact on Bangladesh and inaugurate the first-ever France-Germany (Franco-German) joint embassy in Dhaka. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali received them at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8am, said a senior Foreign Ministry official on Monday. “It's going to be a historic moment,” said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali ahead of the visit. The two visiting Foreign Ministers along with their Bangladesh counterpart were scheduled to leave for Patuakhali immediately after their arrival but the trip was postponed due to bad weather. They will attend a working lunch offered by Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at state guesthouse Padma. They will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban at 4pm on Monday. Then they will interact with the press after inaugurating the joint Embassy. The Franco-German Embassy in Dhaka is the first among others being constructed in the world. The two Foreign Ministers are scheduled to leave Dhaka at 9:45pm, according to a news agency.

--Shuvo--