Indian foreign secy arrives in Dhaka for talks

Ranjan Mathai

Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai arrived in Dhaka yesterday to hold discussions with government high-ups here on a range of bilateral and regional issues.
During his three-day visit, he will sit with government officials to discuss and review the decisions and projects mentioned in the 2010 and 2011 joint statements issued during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India and her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh.
Mathai's visit will do the groundwork for Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who will pay a two-day high-profile visit to Dhaka on February 16-17 to attend the Joint Consultative Commission meeting with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.
The Indian foreign secretary will meet his Bangladeshi counterpart Shahidul Haque today morning to talk on bilateral and regional issues between the two countries, said foreign ministry officials.
The meeting will be followed by a joint press conference at 11:45am.
Mathai will also call on the prime minister, LGRD and cooperatives minister, finance minister, foreign minister and railways minister.
Issues like transit, Tipaimukh dam, cooperation in power generation, border killing, trade and investment, expansion of railway connectivity, and projects implementation under $1 billion line of Indian credit, will come under discussion.
Mathai will also hold extensive talks with government high-ups on the proposed Bangladesh visit by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on March 3-5.