PM Hasina’s India visit
Cooperation in railway connectivity, sci-tech likely to get impetus
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi visit might give impetus to railway connectivity, science and technology fields and training in different sectors between Bangladesh and India. The diplomatic circle of both countries consider the visit after three years significant.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is coming to Delhi on a four-day state visit. She and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will lead their respective sides in an official meeting on Tuesday.
Diplomatic sources said five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been finalised to be signed including modernisation of railway and withdrawal of water from the upstream of the Kushiyara river after the bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers.
The two countries will also sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aiming to expand mutual trade and investment. The issue of politics might come up at the discussion in the context of development, stability and good governance.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, at a press conference held in the foreign ministry in Dhaka on Sunday, said during PM Hasina’s visit to India, new initiatives would be taken to further advance the existing good relations with India.
Diplomatic sources said the two leaders will hold a one-to-one meeting ahead of the bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Seven issues such as politics and security cooperation, energy and power sector cooperation, development cooperation, trade cooperation, water resources cooperation, cultural cooperation and people-to-people connection, and regional and multilateral cooperation will be discussed during the meeting.
We have to ensure that the current trend of relations continues. Also, it is important to ensure that this cooperation is balanced. It is important to focus on the relationship between the two neighbouring countries to be mutually beneficial as anything one-sided will not be sustainable
Former Indian envoy in Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty on Sunday morning told Prothom Alo that the setting up of power transmission lines, railway connectivity and joint border management have played important roles in the transition of the relations between the two neighbouring countries.
New initiatives should be taken in the power and energy sectors for the sake of the future of bilateral relations. Emphasis should be put on special economic zones. CEPA should be signed as the issue of investment protection and service will be important through this, they added.
MoUs to be signed
According to diplomatic sources of the two countries, the MoUs finalised to be signed are withdrawal of water of Kushiyara river, capacity building of railways, cooperation between judiciary authorities, cooperation in industry and science sectors and cooperation between national broadcasting authorities. Moreover, efforts are on to finalise more MoUs on Bringing Bangladesh railway under technology coverage, cooperation in the information and communication sector and space cooperation.
Former foreign secretary and Delhi University’s Bangabandhu chair Md. Shahidul Haque told Prothom Alo on Sunday that the bilateral relations between the two countries have reached at a new stage in 50 years after many ups and downs. We have to ensure that the current trend of relations continues. Also, it is important to ensure that this cooperation is balanced. It is important to focus on the relationship between the two neighbouring countries to be mutually beneficial as anything one-sided will not be sustainable.
Itinerary of PM Hasina’s visit
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday morning left Dhaka for New Delhi on a four-day state visit. A VVIP chartered flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members departed the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:17am. The flight is scheduled to land at the Palam Airport, New Delhi at 12:00pm (Bangladesh time). The Bangladesh prime minister will be received by India’s state minister for railways and textiles, Darshana Vikram Jardosh.
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar will meet PM Hasina at Maurya Sheraton Hotel in the afternoon. Later, the PM will attend a dinner hosted by Bangladesh high commission.
PM Hasina will be formally received by her Indian counterpart on 6 September, while a ceremonial guard of honour will be accorded to her at the Rastrapati Bhabhan. PM will pay respect to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and join the bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House. Sheikh Hasina will also meet Indian president Droupadi Murmu and Indian vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar separately on the same day.
The PM will attend a business forum participated by business delegates of two countries on 7 September morning. On the same day, she will award the Mujib Scholarship, an initiative of the Bangladesh government, to the descendants of Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred and injured during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
The prime minister will visit Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan on 8 September and return to the country that day.
Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Huq, commerce minister Tipu Munshi, railways minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, PM’s economic affairs adviser Mashiur Rahman, PM’s private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman, state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid, state minister for information and technology Junaid Ahmed Palak and state minister for water resources Zaheed Farooque are among the delegation members.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen was also included in the entourage but he could not accompany the prime minister.