President Fakhrul meets Bhutanese king during Dhaka stopover
The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation, according to a press release issued by Bangabhaban.
Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck met President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir during a brief stopover at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka today (26 August).
The Bhutanese monarch's special aircraft stopped in Dhaka for about an hour while travelling from Singapore to Bhutan. President Fakhrul received the king at the airport and held a courtesy meeting with him at the VVIP lounge.
The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation, according to a press release issued by Bangabhaban.
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President Fakhrul invited the Bhutanese king and members of the royal family to pay a state visit to Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. In response, King Jigme Khesar invited the president and prime minister of Bangladesh to visit Bhutan.
The Bhutanese king congratulated President Fakhrul and extended his best wishes. The president, on behalf of the government and people of Bangladesh, conveyed warm greetings to the king and the Bhutanese royal family.
During the meeting, President Fakhrul highlighted the deep and historic ties between Bangladesh and Bhutan.
"Bhutan has always held a special place in our hearts because it was the first country in the world to recognise Bangladesh on 6 December 1971," he said.
The president also recalled with deep respect the special affection and goodwill towards Bangladesh shown by the current king's father, former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
King Jigme Khesar stressed the need to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including education, trade and investment to promote shared development and prosperity.
He also briefed the president on Bhutan's 'Gelephu Mindfulness City project' and sought Bangladesh's participation and cooperation in the initiative.
President Fakhrul expressed keen interest in the project and praised the initiative. He said Bangladesh was ready to work closely with Bhutan to advance transformative regional initiatives aimed at mutual welfare, prosperity and sustainable development.
Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, the Bhutanese ambassador to Bangladesh and senior government officials were present at the meeting.
The Bhutanese king's special aircraft left Dhaka for Bhutan at around 6:30am.
