PM to attend LDC5 in Qatar next month

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to make three state visits this year -- first to Qatar in March, then to Japan in April, and India in September.

In Doha, she will be participating in the fifth UN conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) to be held from March 5-9.

The PM's participation was discussed at an inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, on January 30, said Seheli Sabrin, director general of the foreign ministry's public diplomacy wing and the ministry's spokesperson, yesterday.

"The issues to be raised by Dhaka in the LDC conference are yet to be finalised," she told this correspondent after a weekly press briefing at the ministry.

The LDC5 is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to accelerate sustainable development in places where international assistance is needed most and to tap into the full potential of the LDCs, helping them progress on the road to prosperity.

A foreign ministry official said Bangladesh may ask the developed countries to continue providing some of the trade privileges, which the country has been enjoying as an LDC member. Bangladesh is scheduled to graduate out of LDCs in 2026. 

Hasina is likely to visit Japan in early April, after the trip was postponed in November last year.

"Foreign offices of Bangladesh and Japan are working to fix the date," Seheli said.

A foreign ministry official told this correspondent that Japan wants Hasina to visit in late March or early April -- the cherry blossom season. Dhaka is considering early April as many events centring Bangladesh's Independence Day take place in the country in March.

Seheli further said the PM is likely to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh is the only country from South Asia invited by India to attend the summit and will have the scope to voice out its national and regional concerns that need support of the G20 countries to be addressed.

Some of those include the Rohingya crisis, economic strains created by the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change-induced displacement, technology transfer for renewable energy, and funding for climate adaptation, ministry officials said.

Ahead of the summit, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will be visiting New Delhi in March to attend the G20 foreign minister-level meeting, while the Indian foreign secretary will be visiting Dhaka in February as part of the preparation for the summit.

Meanwhile, Queen Mathilde of Belgium will be visiting Bangladesh on February 6-8.

She is one of the 17 advocates for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

During her visit, she is expected to call on President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and to visit the Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps, a garment factory and some projects working on the mitigation of flood impacts.