President flies to Switzerland tonight

President M Abdul Hamid leaves here for Geneva tonight on a five-day official visit to Switzerland to attend the summit of World Investment Forum 2018.

The meeting kicks off on October 22 at Palais des Nations in Geneva, the United Nations Headquarters in Europe and a global hub for diplomacy and banking.

“A regular flight of Emirates Airline carrying the President and his entourage members will leave Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport at 1:40 am tonight,” President’s press secretary Joynal Abedin told BSS today.

He said the President will take part in the Global Leaders’ Investment Summit and the 20th annual session of the Homeland and Global Security in Geneva.

According to the programme schedule, the flight will reach Cointrin Airport, Geneva, at 7:50 pm (local time)on October 22. Earlier, on his way to Geneva, the President will make a 10-and-a-half-hour stopover at Dubai International Airport from 4:30 am (local time) tomorrow.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the UN Office Shameem Ahsan and representatives from the Cantonal Government of Geneva and United Nations Office of Geneva (UNOG) will receive the President at the airport.

From the airport, the President, in a ceremonial motorcade, would be escorted to Grand Hotel Kempinski, where she will be staying during his visit to Switzerland.

The investment summit convenes heads of state and government, ministers and CEOs of global companies to share their vision for the future with the theme “Investing in Sustainable Development”, said a foreign ministry source.

The World Investment Forum biennially gathers more than 4,000 investment stakeholders from 160 countries, the source said.

The summit will focus on global challenges for international investment in the new era of globalization and industrialization.

The 2018 Forum consists of over fifty events, including the Grand Opening, the Global Leaders Investment Summit, the Global Investment Game Changers Summit, ministerial roundtables, conferences, private sector-led sessions, Ted-style presentations, high-profile stakeholder roundtables, networking events, award ceremonies and an Investment Village, he added.

On the sidelines of the forum, President Hamid is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of different countries.

Concluding his five-day tour, the President will leave Geneva for Dhaka on October 26, 2018.

Source: BSS