DHAKA: The bilateral meeting between Bangladesh Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina and visiting Bhutanese premier Tshering Tobgay has begun on Saturday afternoon.

The meeting started at 3:15pm at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The two sides, in the meeting, are discussing a host of issues, including power generation, water resources management, trade, connectivity and culture, sources said.

After the bilateral meeting, premiers of the two neighboring countries are also expected to sign a deal on the renewal of the trade agreement, which ended past November.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali met the visiting Bhutan PM at Hotel Sonargaon. They discussed several bilateral issues from 12:30pm to 1:00pm.

A 10-member delegation, including Bhutanese foreign minister and economics affairs minister, accompanied the premier.

However, Bhutanese PM Tobgay arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday on a three-day official visit in response to invitation by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A special flight of Druk Air carrying the PM and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:00am.

Later, they paid homage to the martyrs of Liberation War in 1971 at the National Mausoleum in Savar.

The visiting premier is also expected to attend a cultural program at 7:00pm today at Hotal Sonargaon.

During the tour, the Bhutanese PM will pay a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid. He will also meet with several other senior leaders, including Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi.

The Bhutanese PM will also meet the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushan Ershad. He will leave Dhaka on December 8 at 3:30pm.

** Bhutan PM pays tributes to martyrs

BDST: 1531 HRS, DEC 06, 2014