New Delhi: The Indian External Affairs Ministry on Thursday announced that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will arrive in New Delhi on September 5 on a four-day state visit to India. Spokesperson of Ministry for External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said, “During her visit, Hasina will meet India’s President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,”
Bagchi added, “In recent years, there has been an exchange of high-level visits between the two nations with top leaders holding bilateral talks add up with the cultural exchange. The forthcoming visit of her excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will further strengthen the existing multifaceted relationship between our two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties,”
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also meet the visiting dignitary during her visit.
Ahead of her visit, former diplomats, businessmen, and journalists from both countries talked to BSS (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha) about the outcome of the visit. They expressed optimism that the visit would further bolster bilateral and regional cooperation and re-invigorate Indian investors to invest in Bangladesh.
Talking to BSS, they said both the PMs are expected to discuss the entire gamut of bilateral and regional issues ranging from connectivity, trade, water sharing, and regional issues during their meeting. These would help solve many outstanding issues between the two countries and would bring India and Bangladesh much closer compared to any time in the past.
Former Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said, “I am optimistic about the visit as it is happening at a time when tension has been prevailing across the world. The meeting of the two PMs will create an opportunity to discuss domestic, regional, and global issues, so it will be a very crucial visit,”
“during the meeting, the two premiers are likely to discuss issues relating to water resources management, connectivity, bilateral and regional supply chain, border management, security, anti-terrorism, and certainly the present global political scenario,” he added.
“I think the discussion on these crucial issues by the two leaders will put impetus to enhance cooperation between the two neighbors,” said Haque who is currently holding the Bangabandhu chair at Delhi University in India.
(Vinayak)