Dhaka: Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Friday made a brief stopover in Dhaka while travelling to Germany. The Bhutanese Prime Minister arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:55pm, said a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humaiun Kobir welcomed him at the airport.
According to United News of Bangladesh, during the brief interaction, the minister and the state minister conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to the Bhutanese Prime Minister. They appreciated the excellent bonds of friendship between Bangladesh and Bhutan that have been cemented over time since Bhutan, as the first country, recognised Bangladesh in 1971. Both sides discussed issues of mutual interest, as stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Moyeen Khan and Humaiun expressed Bangladesh's keen interest in contributing to the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) of Bhutan, particularly by providing professionals, skilled and semi-skilled human resources. Recalling the vision of late President Ziaur Rahman for a prosperous South Asia, they sought Bhutan's support for the revitalisation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for the collective benefit of the region and peoples.
Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the meeting. After a stay in the VVIP lounge of the airport for around one hour, Tshering Tobgay left for Germany on a chartered flight.