New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Bangladesh on March 26 -27 to bolster ties with the neighbouring country. It will be his second visit to the nation since 2015 and the first-ever foreign visit amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing a special briefing ahead of Modi’s visit to Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Wednesday said, “The visit comes at a momentous time in our bilateral ties. Bangladesh is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its liberation war”.
This visit is in connection with the commemoration of three epochal events - Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh; and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation. Prime Minister had last visited Bangladesh in 2015.
Reminding that India had lent its full support to the noble cause in which Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives too. Shringla said, “Both nations are commemorating 50 years of establishment of diplomatic ties. It is also the year of commemoration of 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”.
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During his visit to Dhaka, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral consultations with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Apart from that, he will also call on the President of Bangladesh Md. Abdul Hamid. And later, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr A.K. Abdul Momen will call on the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Modi will also interact with diverse groups of Bangladesh’s polity and society, FS Shringla said during the special briefing.
India- Bangladesh bonhomie
India-Bangladesh relations are multifaceted and both nations share a strong historical and cultural bond. The relations between both countries have usually been friendly, although sometimes there are border disputes.
The historic land boundary agreement was signed on 6 June 2015 which opened a new era in the relations and further stopped all issues in ties. They are common members of SAARC, BIMSTEC, IORA and the Commonwealth.
It is worth noting trade and economic relations between India-Bangladesh have reached a new height in the last couple of years. Above all, connectivity has always been a key in India-Bangladesh ties. As rightly pointed out by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier during his Dhaka visit this year, a game-changer in the bilateral relationship would be increasing connectivity between the two countries.
PM Modi during his last visit to Dhaka in the year 2015 had announced that India would provide Bangladesh with a Line of Credit of 2 billion dollars.
Further, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said that there has been a commitment from India’s side to conclude the Teesta Agreement at the earliest. “We will continue to be engaged in that endeavour”, he told the media.
Therefore, the Teesta agreement is expected to be one of the key discussions during Modi’s visit to Bangladesh. Several MoU’s are also to be signed between the two nations. The visit of Prime Minister Modi highlights the priority India attaches to Bangladesh.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his heartfelt tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and called him a ‘hero for all Indians”. The Prime Minister also said that he will be honoured to participate in the celebrations of the birth centenary of Rahman.
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