Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka on Tuesday for London en route to Sweden on a three‐day bilateral tour to the Scandinavian country at the invitation of her Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven.

This is the first‐ever bilateral visit by any head of state or government of Bangladesh to Sweden, which is expected to expand cooperation between the two countries on a number of bilateral and regional issues.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at about 12:10pm on Tuesday.

Ministers, advisers, high civil and military officials saw the Prime Minister off at the airport.

The flight is expected to land at Heathrow International Airport at 6:00 pm (local time) where she will be received by Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Md Nazmul Quaunine.

After a one‐day stopover at London, Sheikh Hasina will leave London for Stockholm on Wednesday afternoon by a Scandinavian Airlines flight at 6:15pm (local time) and is expected to land at Stockholm Arlanda Airport at 9:40pm (local time).

Bangladesh Ambassador to Sweden Mohammad Golam Sarwar will receive the Prime Minister at the airport from where she will be escorted to Grand Hotel in a ceremonial motorcade where she would be staying during her the tour.

Wrapping up her tour, Hasina will depart Stockholm for London on Friday at 1:30 pm (local time).

After making a short stopover, she will board a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in Heathrow for Dhaka at 6:20pm (local time) and is expected to arrive in Dhaka at 11:05am on Saturday (BST).

On Sunday, Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali said the PM’s Sweden visit will help expand cooperation between the two countries on a number of bilateral and regional issues, including climate change, SDGs implementation and combatting terrorism.

The current two‐way trade volume between the two countries is US$ 556.93 million only. Though this is going to be the first bilateral visit between the two countries at government or state head level, Hasina visited Sweden in 2009 to attend the European Development Days, a forum organised each year by the European Commission to bring the development community together to share ideas and experiences.