Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrives at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8:45pm local time on Sunday (6:45pm Bangladesh time) on an official visit at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim. -Agency
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has received a red-carpet welcome while being accorded a guard of honour upon reaching Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.
At 8:45pm local time on Sunday, a special Biman Bangladesh flight carrying the premier landed at the exclusive VVIP terminal at the Bunga Raya Complex of the airport.
At the terminal, Malaysian Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan and his wife received the Bangladeshi premier. His wife Zubaida Rahman was also greeted with flowers by a young child, Maisa Nur Aisha.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury and Deputy High Commissioner Shahanara Monica were also present, reports bdnews24.com.
The national anthems of both countries were played during the display by the armed forces.
Tarique was then taken from the airport to the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur hotel in a special motorcade where he, his wife, and travel companions will stay during the two-day visit.
This is Tarique’s first state visit since he took the reins as prime minister after his BNP party won an absolute majority in the general election on Feb 12.
The premier’s companions on the trip include Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Energy and Power Aninda Islam Amit, the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Humaiun Kobir, Overseas Employment Advisor Mahdi Amin, and Defence Advisor AKM Shamsul Islam.
The Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, and the Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman are also in the entourage.
On Saturday, Asad outlined the schedule of Tarique’s six-day tour to Malaysia and China.
Immediately after the BNP formed a government on Feb 17, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim invited Tarique for a visit.
After India, Bangladesh is the second largest market for Malaysia in South Asia. However, Malaysia is far ahead in terms of bilateral trade.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will officially welcome the Bangladeshi prime minister at his office in Putra Jaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, on Monday morning.
The two premiers will have an exclusive one-on-one meeting before being joined by their senior colleagues for delegation-level formal talks.
They will address a joint press conference afterwards.
Two memoranda of understanding on cooperation in tourism and culture with Malaysia are also likely to be signed during this visit.
