PM returns home after joining Munich Security Conference

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today arrived home wrapping up her three-day official visit to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference 2024.

A regular flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage members landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 11am.

The flight departed from München Franz Josef Strauss Airport, Munchen, Germany around 09:08pm (local time) on 18 February.

The premier reached Munich on 15 February evening marking her first official visit since assuming office after winning the 12th parliamentary election.

During her stay in Munich, Sheikh Hasina attended the opening ceremony of the Munich Security Conference and held meetings with global leaders on the sidelines of the conference.

The premier had bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

During the bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Sheikh Hasina called for stopping wars, particularly the Russia-Ukraine war and attack on Gaza.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former UK Prime Minister and current Minister of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Lord Cameron and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze held talks with the prime minister.

At the meeting with the Indian foreign minister, the premier stressed the need for using Bangladesh and Indian currencies Taka and Rupee for doing business between the countries.

President of Women Political Leaders (WPL) Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Senior Managing Director, Development Policy and Partnership of World Bank Axel Van Tortsenburge, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Pedro's Adhanom Ghebreyesus, President of Global Affairs at Meta and former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Sir Nick Clegg paid separate call on the prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina also addressed a panel discussion, titled "From Pocket to Planet: Scaling Up Climate Finance" at the Munich Security Conference where she placed six proposals, urging world leaders to unlock climate finance for the victim nations and end the arms race to divert resources into climate fund.

She also joined a reception accorded to her by the Bangladeshi diaspora in Germany and different European countries at Burgerhaus Garching Hotel in Munich.