Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on his two-day visit to Dhaka starting Friday. Friday will commemorate the birth centenary of the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the nation of Bangladesh. The country is also observing 50 years of the War of Liberation, and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic ties with India.
PM Modi said: "I will be having substantive discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following our very productive virtual meeting in December last year. I also look forward to my meeting with President Abdul Hamid, and to interactions with other Bangladeshi dignitaries. My visit will not only be an occasion to convey appreciation for Bangladesh's remarkable economic and developmental strides under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visionary leadership, but also to commit India's abiding support for these achievements," he said.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said that a range of pacts will be signed and new announcements for bolstering cooperation in several areas will be made during the two-day visit.
India-Bangladesh relations on a high
The India-Bangladesh relations have been on a significant updrift. At a summit in December 2020, India and Bangladesh had sealed seven agreements to expand cooperation in diverse areas, and restored the Chilahati-Haldibari cross-border rail link which was in operation till 1965. Modi and Hasina also jointly inaugurated a digital exhibition on Mujibur Rahman and Mahatma Gandhi in an effort to celebrate the life and legacies of the two iconic leaders.
The cooperation with Bangladesh has progressed significantly this year, with Bangladesh opening itself up for facilitation of internal trade in India through its territory. Given India's geography, it is often less time consuming to move through Bangladesh from one Indian location to another, instead of staying on Indian routes. Tripura has been a big beneficiary this year, with the Chattogram port opening up for India's internal trade from Kolkata, as well as an international waterway being inaugurated on Gomati river from Sonamura in Tripura to Daudkandi in Bangladesh some months ago.
