Dhaka
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to attend the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg at the invitation of South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen announced that the Prime Minister will participate in the “BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogues” on August 24, the last day of the 15th BRICS Summit.
The five-nation political bloc has garnered significant interest from major emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Bangladesh expressed its desire to formally join BRICS in 2021 as the first country outside the member states.
The Prime Minister will also attend the Bangladesh Business and Trade Summit, the Regional Envoys Conference, and the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogues. She will also speak at a reception organized by Bangladeshi expatriates in the evening.
The Chairman of the New Development Bank will also call on the Prime Minister. However, the Foreign Affairs Minister has not finalized sideline meetings with various heads of government. Officials had previously indicated that the Prime Minister may have meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but these meetings have not been confirmed.
The Prime Minister will also go to Delhi in September for the G20, where he will have a bilateral meeting with the Indian Prime Minister. Several African countries have requested to meet the Prime Minister, but they have not been able to resolve the issue.
