PM returns home today after six-day Thailand visit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return home today from Bangkok, wrapping up her six-day official visit to Thailand.

She arrived in Bangkok on April 24 on a bilateral and multilateral visit at the invitation of her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin.

The Bangladesh premier held bilateral talks with Thavisin on April 26 at the Government House.

The two PMs witnessed the signing of five bilateral documents on visa exemption, cooperation on energy, tourism, and customs matters, and the negotiation of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and Thailand.

During the official luncheon hosted by the Thai PM, Hasina called her visit a milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Besides, she 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, 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, United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Bangkok.

The five documents signed between Dhaka and Bangkok — an agreement, three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and a Letter of Intent (LOI) — are Agreement on Visa Exemption for holders of official passports; MoU on Energy Cooperation; MoU on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters; MoU on Cooperation in the field of tourism; and LOI to commence negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the year 2024.

On April 24, the Bangladesh PM was accorded a warm reception amid a 19-round gun salute at the Don Mueang International Airport, heralding her arrival in Bangkok.