DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave for Nigeria on July 7 on a three-day visit to attend the seventh D-8 Summit.

“The PM will take part in the summit as a multilateral participant,” Saida Muna Tasneem, Director-General of the External Publicity Wing in the Foreign Office, told banglanews24.com.bd Tuesday.

During the summit meeting of the forum of eight developing countries, Sheikh Hasina is expected to hold sideline meetings with her counterparts from other countries, she said, adding that the schedule has not been finalized yet.

Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni will also be in the PM’s entourage.  

The summit’s theme is - ‘Enhancing Investment Cooperation among D-8 Members’.  

The Developing-8 is an organization for economic cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.

A source in the Foreign Office said, “Signing Preferential Trade Agreement, Customs Agreement and D-8 visa agreement are the major achievements of D-8 in recent years.”

“The Prime Minister will lay importance on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, industrial development, agriculture, tourism and food security among the D-8 member-countries,” the source added.

Prime Minister Hasina is expected to return home on July 10.

BDST: 1845 HRS. June 29, 2010