Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reaches India on a four-day visit

On a four-day visit to India, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached New Delhi on Monday. Upgrading defence cooperation, expanding regional connectivity initiatives and establishing stability in South Asia are the top agendas on the list of discussion. During her visit, the Bangladesh Prime Minister will meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. She will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on PM Hasina.

Last year, Bangladesh marked the 50th anniversary of its independence and the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the nation. That was also the year PM Modi visited Bangladesh and Maitri Diwas celebrations were held in 20 capitals around the world including Delhi and Dhaka.

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India and Bangladesh have sought to create a model for regional cooperation besides reviving several connectivity initiatives over the last few years. The Akhaura-Agartala rail link will reopen soon, and it is also likely thatAgartala and Chittagong will be connected by air in a few weeks. The two sides are expected to ink an agreement on interim sharing of water of the Kushiyara River during Hasina`s visit, ANI reported.

The Bangladeshi PM is also likely to travel to Ajmer in Rajasthan to visit the Dargah of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.

India and Bangladesh had finalised the text of the agreement on interim sharing of river waters last month. The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalised at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) held in Delhi on August 25.

Bangladesh is an important partner under India`s "Neighbourhood First" policy. The cooperation extends to all fields including security, trade & commerce, power & energy, transport & connectivity, science & technology, defence, rivers, and maritime affairs among others. As far as trade is concerned, it is now India`s biggest trade partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade growing from US$9 billion to US$18 billion in the last five years.

India has been a hub of medical treatment for Bangladesh nationals. Of the 2.8 lakh visas issued in 2021, 2.3 lakh were medical visas. Bangladesh is currently India`s biggest visa operation globally. In 2019, 13.63 lakh visas were issued.

(With inputs from agencies)