PM flies to Sweden tomorrow

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave for Sweden tomorrow on a bilateral visit upon an invitation by her Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven. Sheikh Hasina will lead the high-powered 47-member business delegation on a state visit to Sweden on June 15-16, the first ever by a head of the state from Bangladesh to a Nordic country.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told the media yesterday that the visit will help expand cooperation between the two countries on a number of bilateral and regional issues, including climate change, SDGs implementation and combating terrorism. She will hold a bilateral meeting following a tête-à-tête between  Hasina and her Swedish counterpart Stefan. The prime minister will also pay a courtesy call to Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf.

During the visit, she will hold meetings with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin, acting speaker of the  Swedish parliament and Justice and Migration Affairs Minister Morgan Johansson. Mahmood Ali said the visit will also help bring a momentum in bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on migration, UN peacekeeping missions and Global Deal Initiative.

"Through the visit, Bangladesh's image in Europe and elsewhere in global arena is expected to be brightened further," he said. This visit would "deepen and expand" the cooperation between the countries and would also "brighten" Bangladesh's image in Europe.

The Swedish deputy prime minister, acting speaker, judiciary and migration ministers of Sweden will call on Hasina separately, Mahmood Ali said at the press briefing.   She will also meet the chief executives of some Swedish companies, and will take part in Bangladesh-Sweden Business and Investment Forum.

A joint statement will be issued regarding the future plan of Bangladesh-Sweden bilateral relations. She will stopover in London where she will spend time with family members. Her niece Tulip Siddiq has been re-elected MP in the British elections on Friday.

Besides, two Memorandum of Understandings or MoUs on trade cooperation between Sweden-Bangladesh Business Council (SBBC, Stockholm) and Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industries (NCCI, Dhaka) will be signed. Currently, the trade volume between Bangladesh and Sweden is worth $556.93 million.

Bangladesh hopes to expand bilateral relations with Sweden. The country also hopes Swedish cooperation in achieving SDGs, trade cooperation, migration, climate change, UN peacekeeping missions, Global Deal Initiative and counter terrorism.

Sweden was one of the first countries in Europe that supported Bangladesh in 1971.  February 4, 2017 marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka on June 13, and is expected to leave Sweden for Dhaka on June 16.