'Hasina-Modi meeting had no specific agenda'

Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the convocation programme of Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal of India on Friday. Photo: From the Twitter page of Hindustan Times
Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the convocation programme of Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal of India on Friday. Photo: From the Twitter page of Hindustan Times

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina discussed security, politics and some other issues during a bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Santiniketan of India's Bengal on Friday.

State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam said this to newsmen after the half of an hour-long meeting of the prime ministers of two neighbouring countries on the Visva-Bharati University campus.

“Though I was not present at the meeting, I can say that the two prime ministers talked about bilateral issues. They also discussed regional security and politics,” said Shahriar Alam.

The meeting, however, did not have any specific agenda, said a diplomat in New Delhi.

The two leaders talked about Teesta water-sharing deal and the Rohingya crisis, hinted the diplomatic sources in the two countries.

In her speech at the inauguration ceremony of Bangladesh Bhaban, premier Hasina indirectly conveyed a message to India that Dhaka has not yet got expected response about the Teesta waters and the Rohingya crisis.

“We have still some problems unresolved which I don’t want to raise here in the interest of congenial atmosphere of the inaugural function,” she said.

“But, I firmly believe that any sort of problems can be resolved through friendly attitude,” she expressed her optimism.

Hasina said her government has given shelter to more than 1.1 million Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds and hoped the international community would exert pressure on Myanmar to ensure their return soon.

On Wednesday, on a query if Sheikh Hasina would discuss with Narendra Modi the next general elections in Bangladesh during her visit to Bengal, foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali said, "Why not, if he wants."

The remark has raised certain interest about the meeting of the two leaders.