By Sumi Khan Dhaka 4th September : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is visiting India after three years for an official visit lasting four days starting on Monday, will meet with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
The Rohingya issue could gain prominence in their discussions and Bangladesh is keen to cooperate in food security and energy with India, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A.K.Abdul Momen said in a briefing for the media on Sunday.
The visit is viewed as significant given the Ukraine crisis as well as the global economic downturn and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.The two South Asian neighbors seek enhanced cooperation to meet the issues, he added.
Issues relating to security cooperation as well as investment, improved trade relations energy and power sector cooperation, sharing of water of common rivers water resources management border management, tackling human trafficking and drug smuggling are likely to be top of the list in the discussions between the two Premier Ministers.
The visit will also strengthen the relationship that exists between the two countries based on the strong cultural and historical ties as well as confidence and mutual understanding.
The Prime Minister will be officially received by Modi as an official guard of honour will be given to her.She will pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
In her trip, Hasina will meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar in addition to having bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart at the Hyderabad House.
Indian Minister of External Affairs S.Jaishankar will call on Hasina and is likely to be in Ajmer as well.She is scheduled to also attend a lunch hosted by Modi.
She is scheduled to give the Mujib Scholarship which is an initiative of the Bangladesh government to the ancestors of 200 Indian Armed Forces personnel who were killed and seriously wounded during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
At the ministerial level meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC) between Bangladesh and India on the 25th of August, an draft memorandum of understanding regarding the removal of waters from the downstream of the Kushiyara river that flows through India towards Sylhet of Bangladesh was signed.
Additionally, four additional MoUs have been drafted to be signed.
The Foreign Minister stated that there is a process underway to sign MoUs related to the re-entry of water from the downstream of Kushiyara river as well as cooperation between defense colleges of the two nations as well as cooperation between the judicial authorities and modernisation of trains and capacity building, as well as cooperation between the information and communications sector.
Furthermore collaboration among the blue economy, as well as the two MOUs that were signed earlier by two broadcasting agencies will also be renewed.A diplomat, under the an ad hoc basis of anonymity, said that during her trip to India that a MoU will likely be signed with Indian multinational GMR.GMR for the import of hydropower from Nepal.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was also present at the briefing to the media.
The Prime Minister will be the leader of a high-level delegation , which includes advisers, ministers secretary, state ministers and high-ranking officials.
Representatives from the business community of Bangladesh will be accompanying Hasina who is scheduled to be attending a meeting for business organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries.
sumi/vd
