Bangladesh, India to sign several bilateral agreements during Modi’s visit
Bangladesh and India will sign several bilateral agreements covering trade, disaster management, and oceanography and come out with "new announcements" in trade, power, railway, health, and education, culture, and border development during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka on March 26-27.
Since there has been a commitment from the Indian side to conclude the Teesta River water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh, "we will continue to work towards that," said Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla while briefing the media in New Delhi about Modi's first in-person overseas visit amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
India will remain engaged with both Bangladesh and Myanmar for speedy and sustained repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, said Shringla.
The two countries will ink "a range of agreements including trade and oceanography," he added.
During the visit, "we will have new announcements covering a range of areas—preservation of the 1971 spirit, education, railway, health, and border development," Shringla also said.
According to him, the Indian prime minister's trip to Bangladesh is going to be a visit of "special significance which will reinforce our strategic partnership."
Modi's participation in three main events in Bangladesh—the 50 years of Bangladesh independence and establishment of India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties and birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman illustrates the "unique" bilateral relationship, Shringla said during the briefing.
He termed Modi's upcoming visit as a "milestone" event because the level and depth of India-Bangladesh relationship have made it a "paradigm and a model" for other countries to emulate.
The Indian foreign secretary said Modi's visit to the "heritage sites of cultural significance" Jasohreshwari temple and the Matuas shrine in Orakandi is going to be "very significant in terms of connecting at the popular level."
During his stay in Dhaka, Modi will meet his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and interact with a diverse section of the society of Bangladesh, including representatives of the 14-party opposition coalition, youth icons, and members of parliament.
"We have a relationship which is rare," Shringla said.
India and Bangladesh have 'excellent defence cooperation'
Answering another question, he said India and Bangladesh have "excellent defence cooperation and as we go along, we are going to have a new depth in that cooperation."
Shringla said India has already supplied 18 120mm mortars and sanctioned a 500 million dollar line of credit for Bangladesh to source its defence equipment from India.
"Our relation with Bangladesh has reached historic heights and we are confident that the prime minister's forthcoming visit will further consolidate the bilateral ties," he said.
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