President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed arrived in Bangladesh with a delegation of Maldivian officials on Wednesday on a three-day official visit.
This is President Solih's first official visit to Bangladesh, taken under invitation of the President of Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hamid. President Solih was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid as well.
The President and his entourage departed to Bangladesh after concluding a successful trip to Qatar on Monday. A 21-gun salute was hosted in honor of President Solih and First Lady Fazna's arrival in Bangladesh, with the President of Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hamid and First Lady Rashida Hamid in attendance to welcome them at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
President Solih visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial and Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka on Wednesday. The memorial is a Bangladeshi national monument which honors the sacrifice of those killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which secured the nation's independence from Pakistan.
In addition to this, President Solih was also invited to attend a ceremony commemorating the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During his three-day visit, the President is set to call upon Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other senior officials of the Bangladeshi government, to discuss avenues through which bilateral relations between the two nation's can be further strengthened.
President Solih will also be meeting Maldivians living in the Bangladesh during his official visit to the country.
Bangladesh has been a close international partner of the Maldives with decades of strong bilateral and multilateral ties; the Bangladeshi government has been providing invaluable aid to the Maldives in combatting the global Covid-19 pandemic, and has thus far sent 100 metric tonnes of commodities, medicines, and protective equipment, among others, followed by nine metric tonnes of food, medicine and PPE. Bangladeshi health professionals have also been operating in the Maldives to provide support in the Maldives' efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 across the island nation.
