Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to travel to New York on September 21 to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, with his visit expected to focus primarily on UN engagements and bilateral meetings with foreign leaders.
According to a report published by Northeast News on September 18, Rahman will not be permitted to travel outside the UN-designated area in New York and will therefore be unable to attend a BNP-organised reception in California.
The report, citing sources in Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Consulate in New York, said no formal bilateral meeting between Rahman and the administration of US President Donald Trump is currently expected.
Rahman is, however, scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Trump. If both leaders attend, the two may have an opportunity for a brief photo session, the report said.
The prime minister is also scheduled to meet Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global, during his stay in New York.
The report said earlier efforts by Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir to advance what it described as “Boeing diplomacy” had not resulted in a confirmed high-level meeting between the two governments.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry had previously suggested that Trump was interested in meeting Rahman, citing a social-media post by Sergio Gor, the US ambassador to India, and subsequently referring to a letter from Trump to the Bangladeshi prime minister.
During his New York visit, Rahman is expected to hold meetings with a number of foreign leaders and senior officials of international organisations.
His tentative schedule includes meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
He is also expected to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, European Council President António Costa and World Bank President Ajay Banga.
Rahman is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka on September 25. The delegation accompanying him is expected to be relatively small, according to the report.
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