Dhaka, Delhi agree to collaborate for betterment of both peoples: PM Hasina

Describing the bilateral meeting between Bangladesh and India as very productive, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said both sides agreed to collaborate with each other for the betterment of their people and countries.

“We have agreed to collaborate with each other for the betterment of our people and countries,” she said.

The Bangladesh prime minister made the remarks in a joint press statement after a tete-e-tete and bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as well as signing of several instruments at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Saturday.

“Today, our two sides had very productive meetings where we discussed politics and security, trade and connectivity, the sharing of water from common rivers, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation, among other issues of mutual interest,” she said.

As Dhaka and Delhi have started new journeys, both countries charted the future course of action to ensure a smart Bangladesh by following Vision 2041 and Viksit Bharat by 2047, she added.

She said they concluded MoUs, renewed several of them, and made announcements for future collaboration.

“Both countries endorsed the ‘Vision Statement’ to guide us toward a peaceful and prosperous future,” said Sheikh Hasina.

She said Bangladesh and India agreed to have a shared vision for ‘Digital Partnership’ and ‘Green Partnership for a Sustainable Future’.

She said Bangladesh-India relations are ever-growing at a fast pace.

Prime minister Hasina said this has been her first bilateral visit to any country after Bangladesh’s 12th parliamentary elections and the formation of her new government in January this year.

“India is our major neighbour, trusted friend, and regional partner,” she said, adding that Bangladesh greatly values the relations with India, which were born during our War of Liberation in 1971.

She recollected Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in 2021, her previous visits to India including her last bilateral visits to New Delhi in September 2022.

Noting that she attended with other world leaders the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi earl this month (on June 9), Sheikh Hasina said, “I am now visiting New Delhi for an unprecedented second time in the same month, June 2024.”

She said these are testaments to our two countries’ close engagement. “Bangladesh-India relations are ever-growing at a fast pace,” she added.

The Bangladesh PM said she held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they discussed the ways and means of collaborative engagement between the two countries.

She once again invited Modi to visit Bangladesh at his earliest convenience.

Hasina arrived here on Friday afternoon on a two-day official visit to India at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

This is the first bilateral visit by any head of government to India after the BJP-led alliance formed its government for the third consecutive term.