UNB, Dhaka :
President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to arrive here on a two-day State visit on Monday to attend the ongoing twin mega celebrations and hold talks with Bangladesh leadership to take forward the growing relations.
Bangladesh is hosting a ten-day special programme to celebrate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of Bangladesh’s Independence that began on March 17 at the National Parade Ground.
The President of Nepal is coming to Bangladesh at the invitation of President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid.
President Hamid will receive his Nepalese counterpart upon her arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a special flight of Nepal Air at about 10 am, according to her tentative programmes. After receiving 21-gun salute, she will be given guard of honour.
From the airport, the Nepalese President is scheduled to visit National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar to pay tributes to the Liberation War heroes by placing wreaths. She will sign the visitors’ book there and plant a sapling.
She will also visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi to pay tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The Nepalese delegation accompanying the President will consist of Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Secretaries and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the President and other relevant ministries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the visit, President Bhandari will attend the celebrations of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Monday afternoon as Guest of Honour. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive the Nepalese President at the venue.
On the occasion, the President will deliver a statement on the theme of “Nepal-Bangladesh Relations and Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary”.
She will also hold talks with the President of Bangladesh at Bangabhaban. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will meet the Nepalese President at the Presidential Suite of the hotel on Monday.
President Bhandari will attend the State Banquet hosted by the President of Bangladesh in her honour.
A cultural troupe will also be a part of the Nepalese delegation which will show a cultural performance during the birth centenary celebration programme in Dhaka.
The President is also scheduled to visit the Embassy of Nepal, meet its nationals in Bangladesh and attend the luncheon to be hosted in her honour by the Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh.
President Bhandari will return to Nepal on Tuesday afternoon. Foreign Minister Dr Momen will see her off at the airport.
President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa already attended the programme in person.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bangladesh on March 26-27 as part of the ongoing celebrations. Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering will also come before the visit of Modi.
