Dhaka to show respect to Modi in all possible way: Momen

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said Dhaka will show all respect to Indian prime minister Narenda Modi as a guest when he will visit Bangladesh to join the mega event of birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“We had invited him which he accepted … so as our tradition we will show him respect in every possible way as the guest,” he told newsmen after a meeting with visiting Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at foreign ministry in the capital.

Asked if Modi could be the main speaker of the inauguration of the Mujib Year on 17 March, the minister said the Indian premier was likely to get most respected position among the foreign dignitaries as prime minister of the world’s largest democracy and Bangladesh’s closest neighbour.

“Our relationship (with India) is based on principles of values and sacrifice,” he said.

Momen said during the meeting with Shringla, he raised Bangladesh’s concerns about increasing trend of border killing as well as delay of Tessta water sharing agreement.

The minister said Shringla told him that India was working seriously on Teesta issue and the much awaited agreement is at the final stage.

Apart from Tessta river, the foreign minister expected that some deals would be signed on water sharing of other transboundary rivers between Bangladesh and India during the Modi’s visit to Dhaka later this month.

About border killing, Shringla apprised the Bangladesh foreign minister that India is sincere to ensure zero killing along the frontier.

Earlier, the Indian foreign secretary, who arrived Bangladesh on a two-day visit this morning, held a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen.