Foreign Minister Dipu Moni received German Foreign Minister

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrived in Dhaka Saturday afternoon on his first official visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni received Westerwelle on his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 12:35pm.

From the airport, the German foreign minister has been taken to state guesthouse Meghna where a joint press briefing will be held.

During his two-day visit, Westerwelle will hold talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dipu Moni, Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia and civil society representatives.

He is also expected to address a press conference on the outcome of his visit.

Westerwelle arrived here following his visit to India and is expected to leave on the morning of June 24.

Westerwelle, a member of the Bundestag (the German Parliament) since 1996, was also deputy chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany for three years.

Though the visit would be brief, foreign ministry officials have attached importance to this as Germany is considered to be one of the most valued development partners of Bangladesh.

Last year German President Christian Wulff came to Dhaka on November 28, on a 3-day official visit while Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel came to Dhaka last June.

Likewise, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also visited Berlin in October 2011 while Dipu Moni visited Germany twice in 2011 and 2012.