Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will arrive on a four-day visit to India on Monday. Issues on top of the agenda are upgrading defence cooperation, expanding regional connectivity initiatives and establishing stability in South Asia.
All eyes are set on Hasina’s first visit since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
uring her visit, the Bangladesh Prime Minister will meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. She will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on PM Hasina during her visit to New Delhi. Hasina is also likely to visit Ajmer Sharif. This upcoming visit will be her first visit after both nations’ bilateral relations touched their 50th year in 2021. Last year also marked the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence and the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the nation. PM Modi visited Bangladesh in 2021. Maitri Diwas celebrations were held in 20 capitals around the world including Delhi and Dhaka.
Prime Ministers of both countries have met 12 times since 2015. India and Bangladesh have sought to create a model for regional cooperation besides reviving several connectivity initiatives over the last few years.
The Akhaura-Agartala rail link will reopen soon, and it is anticipated that Agartala and Chittagong will be connected by air in a few weeks. The two sides are expected to ink an agreement on interim sharing of water of the Kushiyara River during Hasina’s visit.
The Bangladeshi PM is also likely to travel to Ajmer in Rajasthan to visit the Dargah of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. Last month, India and Bangladesh finalised the text of the agreement on interim sharing of river waters.
The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalised at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) held in Delhi on August 25. The commission was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common rivers.
