Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka on Tuesday morning for Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the15th BRICS Summit. The Premier is joining the summit at the invitation of South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, reports UNB.

South Africa is hosting the historic summit of BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It will be the first BRICS summit to be held in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.

Indian Prime Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the global leaders who are traveling to the African country. A regular flight of Emirates, carrying Sheikh Hasina and her entourage members, took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 10:15am. The flight is scheduled to land at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg at 2050 Hrs after making more than an hour of stopover at Dubai International Airport in UAE. From the airport, Hasina will be escorted to the Place of Residence, the Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton.

On August 23, Bangladeshi prime minister will deliver a speech at the “Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit” as the chief guest, jointly organized by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) at 10am at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Center.

On the same day, the PM will speak at the “Bangladesh Envoys Conference ” organized by Bangladesh ambassadors stationed in African countries to be held at Rivonia 7th Floor, the Palace of Residence at 12:30pm. Later in the afternoon, she is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping at the Hotel Hilton Sandton. During the evening, the prime minister will attend a cultural programme and a “State Banquet” hosted by the current Chair of BRICS and the South African President at the Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg.

On August 24, the PM will deliver a speech on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the “New Development Bank of BRICS” in ‘BRICS -Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) comprising representatives from 70 countries to be begin at 9am in the Sandton Convention Centre.

On the same day, Hasina is expected to hold several bilateral meetings with President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and President of the New Development Bank Dilma Vana Rousseff at the Sandton Convention Centre. PM Hasina will attend a meeting of the community leaders on August 24.

The prime minister is scheduled to depart the O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg for home by an Emirates Airlines flight at 1:40pm(local time) on August 26. She is expected to arrive at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka at 8:40am on August 27 following a brief stopover at the Dubai International Airport.