C T Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangkok for home on Sunday after wrapping up her six-day official visit to Thailand.
A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage departed Don Mueang International Airport at 10:10am local time.
The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shajalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11:30am.
The premier arrived in Bangkok on April 24 on a bilateral and multilateral visit at the invitation of her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
Sheikh Hasina on Friday had bilateral talks with Thai Prime Minister Thavisin at Government House (the Thai premier’s office) as five bilateral documents were signed on visa exemption, cooperation on energy, tourism and customs matters, and negotiation of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and Thailand in the presence of the two leaders.
During the official luncheon hosted by Thai Prime Minister Thavisin, Sheikh Hasina called her visit a milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries.
“This official visit will remain a milestone in our bilateral relations. It has ushered in a new era of fruitful partnership between our two countries,” she said.
Besides, she earlier paid a courtesy call on the king and queen of the Kingdom of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, at Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall in Dusit Palace on April 25.
As part of her multilateral engagement, Sheikh Hasina addressed the 80th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on April 25 at the ESCAP Hall (second floor), United Nations Conference Center (UNCC), Bangkok.
The five documents signed between Dhaka and Bangkok–an agreement, three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and a Letter of Intent (LOI)–are an agreement on visa exemption for holders of official passports; an MoU on Energy Cooperation; an MoU on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters; another MoU on Cooperation in the field of tourism; and an LOI to commence negotiations on an FTA by this year.
On April 24, the Bangladesh premier was accorded a warm reception with 19-round gunfire at Don Mueang International Airport to herald her arrival in Bangkok.
