By NNN-BSS,
Dhaka, Bangladesh : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home this morning ending her six-day official visit to Port of Spain, the capital of Caribbean Island state Trinidad and Tobago.
An Emirates air flight carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members landed at Dhaka International Airport at 9.45 am.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister left Dhaka for Port of Spain on November 25 to attend the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) concluded on November 29.
On her arrival at the airport, the Prime Minister was received by Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Agriculture Minister Begum Motia Chowdhury, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Labour and Employment Minister Engineer Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain, Chief Whip Vice-Principal Abdus Shahid, Advisers to the Prime Minister H T Imam and Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas, Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Amin, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, Chairman of Privatization Board Mirza Abdul Jalil, Diplomats, Chiefs of three services and high civil and military officials.
During the CHOGM events, Sheikh Hasina exchanged pleasantries with British Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
She also held bilateral talks with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah on the sidelines of the CHOGM.
Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was the only female head of the government among many heads of government and official representatives from over 50 countries attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the global leaders highly appreciated the Bangladesh Prime Minister for her strong role and prudent leadership in the different international forums in favour of all countries affected by climate change caused by global warming.
Describing the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture, economy, geography and bio-diversity of the least developed countries, Sheikh Hasina demanded a separate fund for the affected countries to tackle grim challenges of climate change at the international forum.
Giving details on the visit, sources of the Prime Minister entourage told BSS that newspapers of different countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, prominently highlighted the visit of Sheikh Hasina and published her pictures with due importance.
The local newspapers of Trinidad and Tobago ran various reports on Sheikh Hasina’s arrival with the headline “Welcome Madam PM.” After Sheikh Hasina’s arrival in Port of Spain, one of the leading newspaper- The Trinidad Guardian- published a full page picture of her on its back page.
The world leaders attending the CHOGM while praising the farsighted leadership of Sheikh Hasina, expressed the hope that under her dynamic leadership Bangladesh would be able to turn itself into a modern and developed country soon.
The Prime Minister’s entourage included Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Foreign Secretary Mohammad Mijarul Quayes, Bangladesh High Commissioner to London Dr M Saidur Rahman Khan and Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.