Hasina off to Vienna to attend IAEA conference

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka for Austria this morning to attend a conference of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hold a bilateral meeting with the Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern in Vienna.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the prime minister and her entourage, took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:10am.

Various global issues, including bilateral cooperation in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs), migration, refugee crisis, climate change and the situation in the Europe after Brexit will come up for discussions during the visit, said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at a media briefing on Saturday.

He said the two countries are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) during the visit.

Hasina will reach Vienna International Airport at 2:30pm (local time). Bangladesh Ambassador to Austria and Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Offices in Vienna Md Abu Zafar will receive the Prime Minister at the airport.

Later, Sheikh Hasina will be taken to Hotel Imperial where she will be staying during her two-day official visit.

In the evening, the Premier will attend a community event followed by Iftar at Grand Hotel.

On Tuesday, she will attend the opening session of the Conference on IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme: 60 years and Beyond - Contributing to Development at Plenary Hall, M Building, Vienna International Centre (VIC), UN Office in Vienna.

Sheikh Hasina will deliver speech at the inaugural session of the conference.

Marking the 60th anniversary of the IAEA's Technical Cooperation programme, the international conference on the 'IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme: Sixty Years and Beyond' will take place in Vienna from May 30 to June 1.

The conference will bring together representatives from member states and other partners to further develop partnership to enhance the delivery of the technical cooperation, said the organisers.

Sheikh Hasina will have a meeting with the IAEA Director General at his office.

The prime minister then will hold official Talks with Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Kern and attend the joint press statement.

She will also hold meeting with Austrian Federal President Alexander Van Der Bellen at Federal Presidency.

In the evening on the same day, she will leave Vienna International Airport for Dhaka by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at about 7pm (local time).

Ambassador Md Abu Zafar will saw her off at the airport.

The premier is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 7:30am on Wednesday (local time).

Source: unb