President Reaches Singapore from Indonesia

President Mohammed Shahabuddin reached Singapore this afternoon winding up his five-day Indonesia tour where he attended the 43rd ASEAN Summit and 18th East Asia Summit.

A VVIP flight (aircraft BG-1911) of Bangladesh Biman Airlines Limited, carrying the President and his spouse Dr Rebecca Sultana, reached Changi International Airport in Singapore at 2:12 pm (Singapore time).

On the arrival, the President was welcomed by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Singapore Tauhedul Islam and senior officials concerned of the Bangladesh High Commission.

The Head of the State and his wife will have their health check-up there.

Earlier, President Shahabuddin departed Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the Indonesian capital at 11 am (Jakarta time).

In the airport, the President was seen off by Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif and senior officials at Bangladesh Mission in Indonesia.

Bangladesh President arrived in Jakarta on September 4.

He attended the three-day 43rd ASEAN summit held from September 5 to 7, 2023 under the chairmanship of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

With the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", the President Shahabuddin, along with his wife attended the summit's opening ceremony in the morning of September 5.

Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed and Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen also accompanied the President there.

The opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit was not only attended by 10 organizational leaders from ASEAN countries and some state leaders, head of the state and the government, but partner countries also participated in it.

Host country Indonesia has invited as many as 27 world leaders and international bodies, the executive directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank for Jakarta ASEAN Summit, said ASEAN secretary general.

The President also held separate bilateral meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo and Secretary-General of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Dr Salman Al Farisi on September 6.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Bangladesh President attended the 18th "East Asia Summit (EAS) and delivered his speech as the chair of guest on September 7.

He raised different south ASEAN issues focusing on Rohingya crisis in Myanmar coincided with the problems that Bangladesh is now facing centring the repatriation of forcibly displaced 1.2 million

Myanmar nationals who have taken shelter in Bangladesh's territory a seven-year back.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the event, Bangladesh President exchanged greetings with some world leaders.

They are: Secretary General of the United Nations Ant›nio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, United States Vice President Kamala Harris, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic Sonexay Siphandone.

President Shahabuddin is scheduled to return home on September 16._BSS