PM Leaves for Johannesburg Attending 15th BRICS Summit

On the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina departed today for Johannesburg in order to attend the 15th BRICS Summit, which will take place from August 22–25.

At 10:30 a.m. today, an Emirates Airlines regular aircraft carrying the prime minister and her entourage took departure from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), according to the press secretary for the prime minister, Ihsanul Karim.

After a lengthy layover in Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, the flight is due to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 8:50 p.m. (local time).

South Africa is hosting the historic 15th Summit of BRICS nations –- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend the summit.

On August 23, the prime minister is expected to deliver a speech as the chief guest at the “Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit”, jointly organized by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

Later, she will attend the “Bangladesh Envoys Conference” organized by Bangladesh ambassadors stationed in African countries.

In the afternoon, she is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping at the Hotel Hilton Sandton.

At the evening, the prime minister will join a cultural programme and “State Banquet” hosted by the current chair of BRICS and the South African president.

On 24 August, she will deliver a speech on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the “New Development Bank of BRICS” – Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) comprising representatives from 70 countries.

The premier will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sideline of the BRICS summit.

At the evening, she will meet the Bangladeshi expatriate community living in South Africa.

The five founding members of BRICS are attempting to come to an agreement on whether to accept new members, according to Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, who stated during a news briefing on Sunday that as of this point, over 22 nations have expressed interest in joining.

"We don't know when the new members will join," he continued.

The prime minister is slated to fly from Johannesburg to Dhaka on August 26. After a brief layover at Dubai International Airport, he is anticipated to return home on August 27 in the morning.