BSS-58
CELEBRATION-MUJIB-REARRANGEMENT-FOREIGNERS
Bangladesh to convey foreign dignitaries revised plan for Mujib Year
DHAKA, March 8, 2020 (BSS) – Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said Dhaka would convey foreign dignitaries, who are scheduled to join the opening of the Mujib Year celebrations, about the revised plan for its inauguration in view of the Coronavirus detection in the country.
“We will inform them about the rearrangement . . . they (foreign guests) will decide themselves about their visit,” he told BSS.
Momen said the foreign ministry would communicate tomorrow with the concerned foreign governments about the rearrangement of the inauguration of the celebration.
The minister, however, expected the invited foreign dignitaries to join the celebrations anytime of the Mujib Year from March 2020 to March 2021.
The invited foreign dignitaries including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were expected to join the inauguration of celebrations while Dhaka had also invited former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee and Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to address an extra-ordinary parliament session to mark the Mujib Year.
He said the festivity of the planned grand opening of the yearlong Mujib Year on March 17 was scaled down at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directives as she said “we should not do anything that can harm common people”.
The premier called a meeting of the Mujib Year’ Celebration Committee to review the situation, hours after authorities announced that the first three cases of coronavirus in the country.
She issued directives for changing plans for the inauguration of the festivity while chief coordinator of the committee Kamal Abdul Naser later detailed the revised plan at a media briefing.
The grand opening was scheduled to be held on March 17 at the National Parade Ground later but Momen said “we will now hold programme avoiding mass gathering”.
BSS/SPL/TA/AR/0001 HRS