Dhaka, Delhi to celebrate two historic years together

Bangladesh and India have emphasised the need for “greater cooperation” to commemorate 2020 and 2021, two historic years in Bangladesh-India relations.

The birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be celebrated in 2020, and 50 years of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation and the establishment of Bangladesh-India bilateral diplomatic ties in 2021.

To commemorate these two momentous occasions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi agreed to enhance cultural interactions between the two countries.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between prime ministers of the two countries held in New Delhi on Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Modi proposed to organise a “Festival of India” in Bangladesh at a mutually convenient period during 2019-2020.

Sheikh Hasina thanked the Indian PM for the proposal, according to an official document.

Both prime ministers also welcomed the renewal of the MoU on Cultural Exchange Programme during the visit.

They directed officials concerned to expedite the work towards agreement between National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) for co-production of the feature film on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in time for the celebrations of his birth centenary in 2020.

The Indian PM thanked the government of Bangladesh for agreeing to release a commemorative postal stamp on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who is celebrated across the world for his philosophy of non-violent movement against colonialism and inequity.

The two leaders agreed to have an MoU on cooperation between the National Museum (India) and Bangabandhu Museum (Bangladesh), and directed officials concerned to finalise the MoU at the earliest.

Bangladesh and India also emphasised the importance of enhanced cooperation between youths of both countries as an investment in the future.

They mentioned the signing of an MoU on cooperation in youth affairs as a step in this direction.