Hasan Mahmud likely to call on Narendra Modi today

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud is expected to call on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Hasan Mahmud reached New Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday (Indian time) on a three-day bilateral visit to India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar, according to India-based news outlets.

He is expected to call on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday after paying tribute at Mahatma Gandhi memorial in Rajghat in New Delhi, reports BSS.

This visit is his first bilateral tour abroad as foreign minister after swearing in of the new government in Bangladesh.

"The visit reflects the high importance and priority both countries attach to their bilateral relationship," according to a statement issued by Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) here this evening.

During the visit, Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan will hold bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Wednesday evening when both the leaders will "review the progress in wide-ranging areas of bilateral relations and chart out the agenda for future engagement".

They will also exchange views on sub-regional, regional and multilateral issues of common interest, the MEA statement said.

According to UNB, Hasan Mahmud will have a separate meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during his stay in New Delhi.

Since the Foreign Minister will have a meeting with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the current security situation in Myanmar is likely to be discussed in the context of regional issues, said a diplomatic source.

Earlier, the spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, Seheli Sabrin, said issues of mutual interest including trade, connectivity and energy cooperation, people-to-people contacts and regional cooperation will be discussed between the two sides at the bilateral meeting to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations.

Asked whether the Teesta water-sharing issue will be discussed in the meeting, the foreign ministry spokesperson said they expect the issue would be discussed.