Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not hold a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump during his visit to New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Affairs State Minister-1 Humayun Kabir has said.
Speaking to reporters, Kabir said there was no possibility of a bilateral discussion between the two leaders, stressing that the prime minister’s visit was primarily aimed at attending the UN General Assembly.
“The prime minister has come to attend the UN session,” Kabir said, adding that meetings on the sidelines would be held with Bangladesh’s national interests in mind.
Tarique Rahman left Dhaka on September 21 to attend the UN General Assembly and is currently in the United States with his wife, Zubaida Rahman. During the visit, he is scheduled to hold more than a dozen bilateral, multilateral and courtesy meetings.
The prime minister arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York at 6:20pm local time on Monday. He was received by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Irene Zubaida Khan and Bangladesh’s ambassador to the United States Tarek Mohammad Ariful Islam.
He was then taken to the Hyatt Grand Central New York hotel in a motorcade. A number of Bangladeshi expatriates gathered outside the airport and hotel, expressing their support with various slogans. Tarique reached the hotel at around 8pm local time.
The prime minister is scheduled to address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at around 3:30am Bangladesh time on Thursday, September 24.
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