PM leaves Baku for home

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File Photo

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct 27, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left
here for home this morning winding up her four-day official visit to
Azerbaijan for attending the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her
entourage members took off from the Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport
at 11:10am local time.

Minister for Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Aziz Oglu
Bayramov and Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey M. Allama Siddiki, who is
concurrently accredited to Azerbaijan, saw the prime minister off at the
airport.

The flight is scheduled to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport,
Dhaka at 7.30pm (BST).

The two-day summit of the NAM, a forum of 120 developing countries, began
on October 25 at Baku Congress Centre in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the summit along with other heads of
states and governments of the member states of the NAM.

On Friday, Sheikh Hasina joined the plenary session of the 18th NAM Summit
and took part in a discussion titled “Upholding the Bandung Principles to
ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of contemporary
world” at Baku Congress Centre.

Speaking on the occasion, she said, “We’re currently hosting over 1.1
million Rohingyas. It has the potential to destabilise our country and
beyond. We’re constrained to seek support of the international community in
resolving the crisis. Voluntary return of the Rohingyas to their homes in the
Rakhine State in safety, security and dignity is the only solution to the
crisis.”

Along with other NAM leaders, the Bangladesh prime minister attended the
opening ceremony of the summit at the Plenary Hall of Baku Congress Centre.

Afterward, Sheikh Hasina joined Working Luncheon for heads of delegation at
the Luncheon Hall of the centre and the Plenary Session.

In the evening, the prime minister attended the official reception hosted
by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at Heydar Aliyev Center.

On Saturday, Sheikh Hasina joined the Plenary Session, the Working
Luncheon for the heads of delegation and the Closing Ceremony of the summit.

She attended a dinner hosted at Hilton Baku by the Bangladesh Ambassador to
Turkey who is concurrently accredited to Azerbaijan.

On the sidelines of the NAM Summit, the prime minister had meetings with a
number of NAM leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Malaysian
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev,
Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Algerian Acting President Abdelkader
Bensalah, and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Malki.

An agreement on cultural exchange was signed between Bangladesh and
Azerbaijan Yesterday in presence of the Bangladesh Prime Minister and the
Azerbaijan President to tune up the cultural ties between the two countries.

Later, Bangladeshi expatriates met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the
Hotel Hilton Baku, where she was staying.

She left Dhaka for Baku on Thursday afternoon.