PM to Leave Johannesburg for Home Today

After attending the 15th BRICS Summit, which was held in Johannesburg from August 22–24, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will depart for Dhaka.

Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, invited her to the conference.

Tomorrow at around 1:40 p.m. (local time), an ordinary Emirates Airlines aircraft carrying the prime minister and her entourage will take off from Johannesburg, South Africa's OR Tambo International Airport.

On August 27, the flight is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:40 am (BD time) following a one-hour layover at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.

The prime minister arrived in Johannesburg on August 22 night to attend the 15th BRICS Summit.

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

It was 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 attended the summit.

On August 23, the prime minister delivered a speech as the chief guest at the "Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit", organized by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

Later, she attended the "Bangladesh Envoys Conference" organized by Bangladesh ambassadors stationed in African countries.

In the afternoon, she held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping at the Hotel Hilton Sandton.

In the evening, the prime minister joined a cultural programme and "State Banquet" hosted by the current chair of BRICS and the South African president.

On August 24, she addressed 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.

Sheikh Hasina met separately with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Tanzanian President Dr. Saima Sulluhu, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Thursday at the Sandton Convention Center.

At the same location, the president of the New Development Bank, Dilma Vana Rousseff, and the prime minister of Bangladesh met.

According to Momen, throughout the discussions, the dignitaries lauded Sheikh Hasina's wise leadership for Bangladesh's outstanding progress.

She met the Bangladeshi expats residing in South Africa that evening.