Bangladesh, India likely to ink seven deals, MoUs during PM's India visit

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh and India are likely to sign seven agreements and MoUs on water management, railway, science and technology, and information and broadcasting during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit.

"We hope the visit will be very successful. It will help to achieve our goals," he told reporters while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Prime Minister leaves for New Delhi on Monday on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, reports UNB.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were also present at the media briefing.

Bangladesh thinks the visit will open new "windows of cooperation" between the countries.

Issues related to security cooperation, investment, enhanced trade relations, power and energy sector cooperation, water sharing of common rivers, water resources management, border management, combating drug smuggling and human trafficking are likely to get priority during the talks between PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House.

The visit is seen as significant amid the Ukraine crisis, global economic downturn and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the two South Asian neighbours seek enhanced cooperation to overcome the challenges, he said.

Hasina will visit India after three years since she last visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The visit is significant for both Bangladesh and India, said the government of Bangladesh.

The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

The Prime Minister will lead a high-level delegation which includes several ministers, advisers, state ministers, secretaries and senior officials.

Representatives from business bodies of Bangladesh will also accompany PM Hasina. Hasina is also scheduled to attend a business event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries.

The prime minister will be formally received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while a ceremonial guard of honour will be accorded to her. She will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

During her visit, PM Hasina will meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar apart from holding bilateral consultations with her Indian counterpart Modi at the Hyderabad House.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on PM Hasina, said the Ministry of External Affairs. Hasina is also likely to visit Ajmer.

The Bangladesh prime minister is also scheduled to attend a lunch to be hosted by her Indian counterpart.

She is expected to award the Mujib Scholarship, an initiative of the Bangladesh government, to the descendants of 200 Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred and critically injured during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

In recent years, both sides have sustained a high level of engagement, including at the highest level, MEA said.