Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave for Johannesburg on Tuesday (August 22) morning to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of South African President and current BRICS Chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa. The BRICS summit will be held on August 22-24.
Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said that the Prime Minister and her entourage are scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a regular Emirates Airlines flight (EK 583) on Tuesday at 10:15 am. The flight carrying the Prime Minister touched down at Johannesburg OR at 8:50 pm local time after a brief stopover at Dubai International Airport. It will landing at Tambo International Airport.
After that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be taken to Radisson Blue Hotel Sandton from the airport. She will stay there during her visit to South Africa.
Earlier on Sunday (August 20), Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen said in a press briefing organized by his ministry, we are going to hold several meetings on the sidelines of this conference. These are now in process as the meetings are finalized at the last minute.
South Africa is hosting the summit of BRICS, a group of major emerging economies. The countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lura da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend the summit. This will be the first BRICS summit to be held after the global travel ban due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On August 23 at Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Center at 10 am, the Prime Minister will address an event titled 'Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit' as the chief guest. It is jointly organized by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
On the same day at 12:30 PM, She will address the 'Bangladesh Envoy Conference' organized by Bangladeshi ambassadors in African countries at the Palace of Resident Rivonia.
She is likely to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Hotel Hilton Sandton in the afternoon. In the evening, Sheikh Hasina will attend a cultural program and dinner hosted by the current chair of BRICS and the President of South Africa at the Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg.
On August 24, the Prime Minister will deliver a speech on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the New Development Bank of BRICS at the BRICS-Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogue). The event will begin at 9 am at the Sandstand Convention Center with the participation of representatives from 70 countries.
Several bilateral meetings of Sheikh Hasina will also be held on the sidelines of the BRICS conference. She will also attend a meeting of community leaders on this day.
The Prime Minister arrived at OR in Johannesburg on August 26 at 1.40pm local time on Emirates Airlines flight (EK762). Depart for the country from Tambo International Airport. She is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:40 am on August 27 after a brief stopover at Dubai International Airport.