CA Comes Home After London Stay
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus returned home this morning, wrapping up his four-day official tour to London. A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at about 9:45 am today, according to Chief Adviser’s Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad. While briefing reporters on Thursday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the main focus of the Chief Adviser’s visit to London was the recovery of stolen assets. “During Sheikh Hasina's reign, US$ 234 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh to various countries. A part of it was laundered to the UK. So, the major focus of Prof Yunus’s UK visit was on asset recovery,” he told reporters in London. On Friday, BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman met Prof Yunus at a city hotel, where they discussed Bangladesh’s upcoming general elections, political reform, and other relevant issues. Prof Yunus also held a telephone conversation on Friday with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, focusing on Bangladesh's ongoing economic recovery and the urgent need to expand educational opportunities for Rohingya children.
During his stay, he participated in an interactive session with students at his hotel. On June 12, Prof Yunus received the King Charles III Harmony Award at St James’s Palace in London. The award recognised his "unique contribution to ensuring harmonious coexistence between people, nature and the environment, bringing about positive changes in the lives of the marginalised communities and building a peaceful, harmonious and sustainable world." Catherine West, UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific, also called on him the same day. Additionally, the Chief Adviser met Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons, at Westminster. On June 11, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, met Prof Yunus at the British Parliament.
Prof Yunus spoke at an event at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Chatham House. UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell also met him during the trip. On June 10, Airbus Executive Vice President Wouter van Wersch and Menzies Aviation Executive Vice President Charles Wyley expressed interest in long-term partnerships with Bangladesh during their meeting with the Chief Adviser. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey called on Prof Yunus, expressing the Commonwealth’s interest in supporting Bangladesh’s political reforms ahead of next year’s general elections. A group of UK parliamentarians under the All-Party Parliamentary Group also met with the Chief Adviser. Prof Yunus arrived in London on June 10 for the official four-day visit.
