Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus returned home on Saturday morning, wrapping up his four-day official tour to London.[inside-as-1]
A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the chief adviser and entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at about 9:45am, chief adviser’s senior assistant press secretary Foyez Ahammad told BSS.
While briefing reporters on Thursday, chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam said that the main focus of chief adviser’s tour to London was on recovery of stolen assets.
‘During the Sheikh Hasina’s reign, $234 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh to various countries. A part of it was laundered to the United Kingdom. So, the major focus of the Professor Yunus’ UK visit was on asset recovery,’ he told reporters in London.
On Friday, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman met with Professor Yunus at a city hotel and during the meeting, they discussed Bangladesh’s next general elections, reform and other issues.
Prof Yunus held a telephone conversation on Friday with former British prime minister Gordon Brown focusing on Bangladesh’s ongoing economic recovery efforts and the urgent need to enhance educational opportunities for Rohingya children.
He joined an interactive session with students at his hotel too.
On June 12, Professor Yunus received the King Charles III Harmony Award at St James’s Palace in London. The award recognised Professor Yunus’ ‘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 Indo-Pacific, called on him at his hotel on the same day.
Besides, the Bangladesh chief adviser met with Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the UK House of Commons, in Westminster, London.
On June 11, the UK secretary of State for Business and Trade and president of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, met with Professor Yunus at the British Parliament.
The chief adviser spoke at an event at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Chatham House.
In addition, UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell called on Professor Yunus at his hotel.
On June 10, Airbus executive vice-president Wouter van Wersch and Menzies Aviation executive vice-president Charles Wyley called on the Bangladesh chief adviser expressing their eagerness to build a long-term partnership with Bangladesh.
Commonwealth secretary-general Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey met with Professor Yunus when she said her organisation was keen to support Bangladesh in political reforms ahead of the planned general election next year.
A group of UK parliamentarian under the banner of All Party Parliamentary Group also called on the chief adviser.
Professor Yunus reached London on the four-day visit to the United Kingdom on June 10 last.