Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 September evening if nothing changes in the schedule in the eleventh hour.
Diplomatic sources in the two countries said the meeting between the two prime ministers was finalised after a long procrastination. Sheikh Hasina will join the G-20 summit on the same day at noon as the chief of an especially invited country.
It will be the last bilateral meeting between Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, before the upcoming parliament election in Bangladesh. Therefore, both countries are quite interested in the meeting.
However, it is not yet confirmed whether any agreement between the two countries will be signed in the meeting or not. However, the two countries are in talks over ‘framework agreement’ and ‘G2G rupee loan’ for trade between the two countries in rupee.
Speaking to the newspersons last Sunday, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will raise the Teesta issue in the meeting. However, according to the sources in India, chances are slim to make any progress in this regard in the meeting.
The countries are in talks over solving the complications in proper use of Indian loans. This issue might come up in the meeting between the two prime ministers, they added.
The ‘US-intervention’ into the internal affairs of Bangladesh is a hot topic in the politics of the country. There have been widespread speculations regarding India’s probable role in the upcoming general election as well.
India is concerned about the general election in Bangladesh, and maintaining regional peace and stability as well the possibility of rise of militancy in Bangladesh. There have been discussions regarding these issues at different levels. It is being assumed that the two prime ministers will discuss regional politics in the meeting as well.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will be accompanied by foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam during her visit to India. Apart from that, the railways minister and the liberation war affairs minister are also scheduled to visit India.
Although there were no complications regarding organising the meeting, it was tough to find a suitable time for it due to the bilateral meetings with the leaders of other countries.
US President Joe Biden will reach Delhi on 8 September as well. A bilateral meeting between Narendra Modi and the US President, Joe Biden, will be held on the same day. The guests will be visiting the Bharat Mandapam at the venue of the G-20 Summit all day on 9 September. Besides, a dinner will be hosted after meeting all day there.
It has been learnt that Narendra Modi did not want to sit in a brief meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the summit. Therefore, the bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers has been fixed on 8 September.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will return to the country after attending a government programme on 10 September morning there. French president Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka from Delhi on the same day.