President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir welcomed Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Wednesday.

A special aircraft carrying the Bhutanese King made a transit stop in Dhaka early Wednesday morning while travelling from Singapore to Bhutan.

During the meeting, the President invited the Bhutanese King and members of the royal family to make a state visit to Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. In response, the King invited the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh to visit Bhutan at their convenience.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck conveyed his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on assuming office as President. The President, on behalf of the people and government of Bangladesh, conveyed warm greetings to the King and members of the Bhutanese royal family. The Bhutanese King also extended his good wishes to the people and government of Bangladesh.

During the meeting, President Mirza Fakhrul said Bangladesh and Bhutan share deep and historic ties. He said Bhutan has always held a special place in the hearts of Bangladeshis, as it was the first country in the world to recognise Bangladesh as an independent state on 6 December 1971.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, the Bhutanese ambassador to Bangladesh and senior officials of the Bangladesh government were present at the courtesy meeting.

The special aircraft carrying the Bhutanese King departed Dhaka for Bhutan at around 6:30am.