Indian Foreign Secretary Shringla arrives in Dhaka

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived in Dhaka this morning on a two-day visit as India officially announced its President's state visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen received his Indian counterpart Shringla upon his arrival in Dhaka via a special aircraft.

Apart from his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Shringla is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister tomorrow (Wednesday).

Though the Indian government is yet to announce the name of the chief guest for its Republic Day parade that falls on January 26, it could not be known whether Shringla is carrying any message or special invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Bangladesh counterpart.

He will call on Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today.

India's relationship with Bangladesh is one of the strongest pillars of its "Neighbourhood First Policy", said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

In this special year, Bangladesh and India are jointly commemorating 50 years of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

The Foreign Secretary's visit to Bangladesh, a day after the Maitri Diwas celebrations, will provide an opportunity to review the wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries, MEA said.