https://arab.news/5r6na
- Shahabuddin leaves from Dhaka on Friday afternoon
- President and family considered ‘royal guests’
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin is preparing to fly to Saudi Arabia for a 10-day visit and to perform the Hajj on the invitation of the Kingdom’s leadership.
Shahabuddin will depart from Dhaka on Friday afternoon with a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. He will travel with his wife and three other family members, who are also part of his entourage.
“A high-profile delegation headed by a prince will receive the president at the airport’s VVIP terminal,” Joynal Abedin, the president’s press secretary, told Arab News on Thursday.
“Twenty-three members of the president’s entourage will stay at the Kingdom’s official guest house and will be considered as royal guests. They will reside at a royal palace near Mina.”
As the visit was specifically planned for Hajj, Shahabuddin is not formally scheduled to hold meetings with officials from the Kingdom during the trip.
“It’s a very hectic schedule. So there is no bilateral meeting scheduled on this trip,” Abedin said.
Shahabuddin is joining about 125,000 pilgrims from the South Asian nation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which is expected to begin on June 26.
More than 1.3 million pilgrims from around the world have already arrived in Saudi Arabia for this Hajj season.
The pilgrimage has returned to pre-pandemic arrangements this year. The Kingdom has launched its largest-ever Hajj operation with more than 14,000 staff members and 8,000 volunteers assisting pilgrims.