NEW DELHI, Jan 29: The Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen called on his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar at the latter’s residence on Thursday.
During the meeting, he thanked the Indian Government for the recent handing over of, COVID-19 vaccine and the excellent cooperation enjoyed by both countries during the difficult times of pandemic.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East), Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called on a delegation led by Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) & Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, established in 2017 this is the second India-Bangladesh FOCs Consular dialogue mechanism between the two countries, to resolve issues related to consular, visa, and mutual legal assistance matters.
Both sides had wide-ranging talks on mechanisms to improve collaboration and cooperation on Consular matters. It revolved on the finalisations of Standard Operating Procedures for consular access, validating the nationality of the detainees, including an early release of the detained fishermen. It was, decided that the implementation of terms under the Revised Travel Arrangements (2018) relating to tourist, student and business visas and the further liberalisation of visa formalities and entry and exit requirements would further increase the ease of travel. Both sides welcomed the strong collaboration between institutions to deal with terrorism and cross-border crimes and legal assistance.
The talks reiterated their determination to continue the citizen-centric consular mechanism, and the celebrations of the 50th-anniversary, celebrations of the bilateral diplomatic links. The two countries agreed to further, improve bilateral relations and facilitate more comprehensive people-to-people exchanges. The next Consular Dialogue is, expected to take place in Dhaka.
The second-day discussion will continue today with Momen calling on Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary to discuss the full spectrum of bilateral ties, including cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade & investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional & multilateral issues. Preparations for the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh will also be, discussed.
Bangladesh is one of the main pillars of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ approach. Both countries have robust relations across more than 60 bilateral frameworks.
(Venkatesh Iyer)