Bangladesh rolls out red carpet for Indonesian president

Bangladesh today rolled out the red carpet to welcome Indonesian President Joko Widodo who arrived in Dhaka on a two-day official visit.

President M Abdul Hamid along with his wife Rashida Khanam and senior ministers received the Indonesian leader as a 21-gun salute heralded his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport.

Two children presented bouquet to the Indonesian President as he along with first lady Iriana Joko Widodo and other entourage members alighted from a special aircraft of Republic Indonesia.

The craft touched down the airport at 4:20pm.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, and State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jahid Malek accompanied President Hamid in receiving his Indonesian counterpart.

Cabinet secretary, dean of diplomatic corps, chiefs of the three services, prime minister's principal secretary, secretary of the prime minister's office, Inspector General of Police (IGP), foreign secretary and secretary of the President's office, among others, were also present.

The Bangladesh president escorted Widodo to a makeshift dais as a joint contingent of army, navy and air force offered him an honour guard.

After the ceremony, the Indonesian president left the airport for the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel where he will be staying during his visit, according to the programme schedule.

Widodo's official engagement will begin with paying a courtesy call on his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban at around 7:00pm.

The Indonesian president will lay a wreath at the National Memorial in Savar at about 8:30am tomorrow to pay homage to 1971 Liberation War martyrs.

Later, he will visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi and lay a wreath at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to pay respect to the memory of the greatest Bengali of all times.

Widodo will go to Cox's Bazar to witness the plight of Rohingya people who fled sectarian violence in Myanmar.

The displaced Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh territory since August 25 last year, following an army crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine State.

Wrapping up his two-day visit here, Indonesian President is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 9:00am on Monday.