Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Secretary-General to visit Bangladesh and India

16 March 2007

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will visit Bangladesh from 19 to 21 March 2007 to hold talks with the country’s caretaker government and political leaders.

Mr McKinnon is scheduled to meet the Chief Adviser, Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Choudhury and other members of the non-party caretaker government, to discuss Commonwealth issues as well as to exchange views on the current political situation. He will also meet the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Dr A T M Shamsul Huda, to discuss preparations for the postponed elections and possible Commonwealth assistance in that regard. While in Dhaka, the Secretary-General is also expected to meet political leaders.

The Secretary-General will then travel to India for a visit from 21 to 23 March.

In New Delhi he will call on the President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Minister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath, Minister of Finance P Chidambaram and the Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri E Ahamed.

On 22 March, Mr McKinnon will deliver a lecture on the challenges of the 21st century at the Indian Council of World Affairs.

He will also address the opening session of the Commonwealth Connects International e-Partnership Summit on 23 March, an ICT development project which aims to bridge the digital divide across the Commonwealth.

Note to Editors

For media enquiries, please contact Geraldine Goh, Communications Adviser on +44-7730-900-020 or via email at g.goh@commonwealth.int

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