Indian foreign secretary due next month
Newly appointed Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale is expected to pay Bangladesh a two-day visit in the second week of April to discuss bilateral issues, including the long-awaited Teesta water sharing deal, about which the New Delhi is trying to build consensus.
Indian diplomats said the visit would be a part of his familiarisation tour, but it will carry special significance as he will convey the message of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Bangladesh's general elections this year.
Diplomatic sources in Dhaka told The Daily Star that the Indian foreign secretary would visit Bangladesh next month, but the dates had not been finalised.
“Yes, the Indian foreign secretary will visit Dhaka as part of the customary familiarisation trip in April,” a senior official told our New Delhi correspondent.
During the two-day visit, Gokhale, who was appointed as India's top diplomat in January, would call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali. A comprehensive bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Md Shahidul Haque is also expected, the official added.
The Indian army chief's recent remarks over Bangladeshi migrants in Assam, Rohingya repatriation and non-issuance of national identity cards to the Muslims in Assam would come up in the discussions.
Gokhale is also expected to enquire about Bangladesh's growing ties with China in recent months.
Before his visit, a delegation of the ruling Awami League, led by General Secretary Obaidul Quader, will visit India.
Asked about the exact dates of Gokhale's visit, the Indian official, who requested anonymity, said both sides were looking at April 8 to 10.
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