Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Johannesburg to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A scheduled Emirates Airlines flight (EK-765) carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday (22 August) at 8.35pm (local time).
The Prime Minister was given a guard of honor after she got off the plane.
From the airport, she was taken in a motorcade to the Palace of Residence, Radisson Blue Hotel Sandton.
Earlier, the flight departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:15 am Bangladesh time on Tuesday (August 22).
South Africa is the host country of the 15th summit of the BRICS countries comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
This will be the first in-person BRICS summit since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent global restrictions. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend the summit.
The Prime Minister will address the 'Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit' organized jointly by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) as the chief guest on August 23. The Prime Minister will also attend the 'Bangladesh Ambassadors' Conference' organized by the ambassadors of Bangladesh posted in African countries. Later, she is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Hotel Hilton Sandton. In the evening, the Prime Minister will attend a cultural program and a 'state dinner' hosted by the current BRICS chief and the South African president.
On August 24, the Prime Minister will address the BRICS Friends Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue) on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the 'BRICS New Development Bank' comprising representatives of 70 countries.
The Prime Minister will hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. That evening, the Prime Minister will meet the expatriate Bangladeshi community living in South Africa.
The Prime Minister is expected to leave Johannesburg for Dhaka on August 26 and arrive in the country on the morning of August 27 after a brief stopover at Dubai International Airport.