President reaches Dubai en route to Switzerland

865

DUBAI, Oct 22, 2018 (BSS) – President M Abdul Hamid reached Dubai early Monday en route to Geneva on a five-day official visit to Switzerland for joining the summit of the ‘World Investment Forum 2018’.

An Emirates flight carrying the President and his entourage members landed at Dubai International Airport at about 4:45 am (local time). After making a stopover in Dubai for over 10 and half an hour, the President is scheduled to leave here for Geneva at 2:55 pm local time.

Earlier, an aircraft (EK 585) of Emirates Airline carrying the President and his entourage members took off from Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport at 2:03 am (BST) on Monday.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, dean of diplomatic corps, Swiss ambassador, Chief’s of three services, principal secretary, secretaries to the President, IGP and high civil and military officials saw the President off at the airport.

The five-day summit will be held on October 22-26 at Palais des Nations in Geneva, the United Nations Headquarters in Europe and a global hub for diplomacy and banking, under the theme “Investing in Sustainable Development”.

Later, the President will be flown by another aircraft (flight no EK 83) is scheduled to reach Cointrin Airport, Geneva, at 7:50 pm (local time) on October 22.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Office Shameem Ahsan and representatives from the Cantonal Government of Geneva and United Nations Office of Geneva (UNOG) will receive the President at the airport.

From the airport, the President, in a ceremonial motorcade, would be escorted to Grand Hotel Kempinski, where he will be staying during his visit to Switzerland.

A foreign ministry source said the investment summit convenes heads of state and government, ministers and CEOs of global companies to share their vision for the future. It will focus on global challenges for international investment in the new era of globalization and industrialization.

The World Investment Forum biennially gathers more than 4,000 investment stakeholders from 160 countries, he added.

The 2018 Forum consists of over fifty events, including the Grand Opening, the Global Leaders Investment Summit, the Global Investment Game Changers Summit, ministerial roundtables, conferences, private sector-led sessions, Ted-style presentations, high-profile stakeholder roundtables, networking events, award ceremonies and an Investment Village, he added.

On the sidelines of the forum, President Hamid is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of different countries.

Concluding his five-day tour, the President is expected to return home on October 26.