Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will spend a pretty busy time during her upcoming visit to Johannesburg, South Africa with a number of meetings planned on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Johannesburg on August 22 to attend the summit and hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines while there.
"We will arrange a number of meetings on the sidelines. These are yet to get the final shape as such meetings are finalised at the last minute. It is in the process," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters at a briefing at the ministry on Sunday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the global leaders who are travelling to the African country this week.
They will be visiting South Africa from August 22 to 24 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, president of the Republic of South Africa.
“BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogues” will also be held there.
India and China are two core members of the BRICS nations, which also include Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
The grouping was predicated on linking the interests of the world’s leading emerging economies but has sought to expand into other civil and governmental fields.
Modi will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs without mentioning names.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said in a statement that during his August 21-24 visit to South Africa, Xi will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to join the “Bangladesh Trade and Investment Summit” which will be jointly organised by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) on August 23.
She will also attend the “regional envoys conference” to be participated by Bangladesh envoys.
On August 24, the prime minister will attend the “BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues.” Representatives from around 70 countries are expected to join the event.
She will also meet Bangladeshi expatriates living in South Africa.
The president of the New Development Bank is also expected to meet Sheikh Hasina there.
Foreign Minister Momen and Prime Minister's Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, among others, will accompany Sheikh Hasina at the “BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogues.”
The prime minister is scheduled to leave Johannesburg for Dhaka on August 26.
Responding to a question, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said the government is planning to hold a number of meetings both in South Africa and India.
"As we will have limited time in South Africa, we will try to hold those meetings [with heads of governments and states] that are possible while the rest can take place in New Delhi," he said.
Around 22 countries have shown interest to be members of BRICS and the five original members are trying to build consensus among them to take new members, the foreign minister said. "We do not know when the new members will join."
Momen said, “We have formally expressed our interest to join BRICS this year.” Bangladesh has already become a member of the New Development Bank, he added.
Responding to a question regarding the geopolitical risks of joining BRICS, the foreign minister said they (developed countries) should be happy that there are emerging countries which have resources and can help other developing countries.
