Bangladesh's Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has expressed his delight that "PM of the biggest democracy" is taking part in the&nbsp;country's 50th independence anniversary celebration. Speaking exclusively to our Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Momen said,"Our relationship with India was rock solid."

Indian PM Modi will be travelling outside Dhaka as well during his two&nbsp;day Bangladesh visit starting today. This is his first visit abroad&nbsp;in more than a year.&nbsp;The Bangladeshi FM also thanked India for giving vaccines. He said, "We developed such a good relation and inspite of certain difficulties in India, the&nbsp;government honoured its commitments."

WION: What is the main focus of this visit?

Momen:&nbsp;The main focus of the visit is observing 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence, and also Mujib Barso - the&nbsp;100th anniversary of father of the nation&nbsp;Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We are very delighted that Narendra Modi, the PM of the biggest democracy in the world&nbsp;is joining us in these two&nbsp;great events... We are very pleased the largest democracy is&nbsp;honouring Bangabandhu. Bangladesh and India worked very hard, and&nbsp;many Indian soldiers shed blood for our independence. So our victory&nbsp;is also India's victory.&nbsp;Bangladesh and India are jointly observing&nbsp;this great historical event. In addition, this year 2021, Bangladesh has met all categories to graduate from LDC country. With 50 years of diplomatic relations with India, we are observing so many events together.

WION: How do you characterise this relationship?

Momen:&nbsp;Our relationship with India was rock solid. During war of Independence, both Bangladesh and India worked together, jointly. Now again, PM Modi and Bangladesh PM have&nbsp;developed height of diplomatic maturity, marking a&nbsp;true&nbsp;Shonali Addhya or Golden Phase because these are two&nbsp;neighbouring countries. All neighbouring countries, all across the world have problem.s But here, with India we have 4000 km of border, and India is big country and the good news is because of the good relations we have resolved most of the major problems between Bangladesh and India amicably. We have resolved our land boundary arrangement, resolved our maritime boundary issues, we have resolved sharing of waters of major rivers via dialogue and discussion. Not a single bullet was shot to achieve any of those. We have big problems which we have resolved and also, India is happy because their&nbsp;eastern border is secure. With a&nbsp;friend like Bangladesh, India doesn't have&nbsp;to worry. Both the countries are gainers. We believe, our PM believes, connectivity is productivity and it is vision of our father of nation. His vision was Bangladesh would be Switzerland of east, an island of peace and it will emit spirit of peace across the world. He also believed that a country can't prosper without peace and stability. That is what PM Hasina is doing, because it is a stable government and she is emitting gospel of peace across the world. India is with us together in the campaign for greater government to government, people to people connectivity and developing a rock solid relationship with our neighbour.&nbsp;

WION: PM will go beyond Dhaka; how do you see that?

Momen: PM Modi&nbsp;is going outside Dhaka, including, Tungipara. It has the mausoleum of the father of the nation. He will show his respect. Also, he will visit two other places - Satkhira, another is Orakandi. India will also provide a&nbsp;lot of deliverables. This is his first visit&nbsp;abroad after COVID-19. That means he is giving lot of respect to Bangladesh. We are also reciprocating.

WION: Any announcement on connectivity - a key focal point?

Momen:&nbsp;We will open the Swadhinta Sadak, a&nbsp;road leading from Nadia to Mujib Nagar. This is a historic event. In 1971, on April&nbsp;17, 17 vehicles from Calcutta took&nbsp;all our leaders, and international journalists. They came to Mujibnagar. The exile govt was established in Mujibnagar, where this road leads. We have a railway from Haldibari to Chilahati, which opened after 75 years. It is open for cargo, and now it will be open for passengers. Once it opens, we can move further. Connectivity is not just rail but also via&nbsp;road, air, railway, and river ways. 

We would like to move forward. I am from Sylhet, and my mother used to tell me that in that area, we have a big Mazar of a saint known as&nbsp;Hazrat Shah Jalal. In his Mazar, there are big utensils for cooking. We used to tell our mother, how such big utensils came. They came from Delhi, and&nbsp;legend has it, they came via river. My grandparents used to take the river route when they used to go to Calcutta. That is the norm. There was no railway, no flight, no road. So many rivers come from India, and it is time to open up all the river routes. Transport will be cost effective and&nbsp;it will be easier for our people to move around and we will follow the natural law of rivers. There are 54 rivers that come from India, we are working on six of them, plus Teesta. Our prime minister has a vision that the whole region has to develop. This can be done, together in partnership and&nbsp;collaboration. Happy we got good friend like PM Modi who is with our PM in meeting the same mission, developing the whole region as one. 

WION: How do you see India's vaccine outreach?

Momen: This pandemic is a disaster and we did not know much about it. When it came, some of the experts projected&nbsp;that 5-10 million death will happen in Bangladesh due to the pandemic. Bangladesh is a very congested and highly densely populated country. We had lot of fear, naturally our PM Hasina took all the initiatives to avert the crisis. She has been successful. When we heard that vaccine is likely to come, immediately Bangladesh took certain positive steps. First, when we heard vaccine will be created, Bangladesh joined the movement and paid for it. We paid to European Union and had one condition, that vaccine should be considered a public good and should be available to everyone without any discrimination. Rich and poor, everyone should have access to vaccine. Then we came to know, vaccine is being produced in India in cooperation with the Oxford AstraZeneca. Immediately, we requested the company that we would like to be part of it. India agreed and&nbsp;assured that whenever India gets the vaccine, Bangladesh will also get the vaccine. Initially we asked for 30 million vaccines and we paid for it fully.&nbsp;Indian government agreed to sell those 30 million and sent 2 million as gift. We developed such a good relation and inspite of certain difficulties in India, Indian govt honoured its commitments. Each month we getting 5 million&nbsp;pieces of vaccines. In addition, India has offered India's indigenous&nbsp;vaccine - Bharat Biotech.

Bangladesh's Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has expressed his delight that "PM of the biggest democracy" is taking part in the country's 50th independence anniversary celebration.

Bangladesh's Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has expressed his delight that "PM of the biggest democracy" is taking part in the country's 50th independence anniversary celebration. Speaking exclusively to our Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Momen said,"Our relationship with India was rock solid." Indian PM Modi will be travelling outside Dhaka as well during his two day Bangladesh visit starting today. This is his first visit abroad in more than a year. The Bangladeshi FM also thanked India for giving vaccines. He said, "We developed such a good relation and inspite of certain difficulties in India, the government honoured its commitments." WION: What is the main focus of this visit? Momen: The main focus of the visit is observing 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence, and also Mujib Barso - the 100th anniversary of father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We are very delighted that Narendra Modi, the PM of the biggest democracy in the world is joining us in these two great events... We are very pleased the largest democracy is honouring Bangabandhu. Bangladesh and India worked very hard, and many Indian soldiers shed blood for our independence. So our victory is also India's victory. Bangladesh and India are jointly observing this great historical event. In addition, this year 2021, Bangladesh has met all categories to graduate from LDC country. With 50 years of diplomatic relations with India, we are observing so many events together. WION: How do you characterise this relationship? Momen: Our relationship with India was rock solid. During war of Independence, both Bangladesh and India worked together, jointly. Now again, PM Modi and Bangladesh PM have developed height of diplomatic maturity, marking a true Shonali Addhya or Golden Phase because these are two neighbouring countries. All neighbouring countries, all across the world have problem.s But here, with India we have 4000 km of border, and India is big country and the good news is because of the good relations we have resolved most of the major problems between Bangladesh and India amicably. We have resolved our land boundary arrangement, resolved our maritime boundary issues, we have resolved sharing of waters of major rivers via dialogue and discussion. Not a single bullet was shot to achieve any of those. We have big problems which we have resolved and also, India is happy because their eastern border is secure. With a friend like Bangladesh, India doesn't have to worry. Both the countries are gainers. We believe, our PM believes, connectivity is productivity and it is vision of our father of nation. His vision was Bangladesh would be Switzerland of east, an island of peace and it will emit spirit of peace across the world. He also believed that a country can't prosper without peace and stability. That is what PM Hasina is doing, because it is a stable government and she is emitting gospel of peace across the world. India is with us together in the campaign for greater government to government, people to people connectivity and developing a rock solid relationship with our neighbour. WION: PM will go beyond Dhaka; how do you see that? Momen: PM Modi is going outside Dhaka, including, Tungipara. It has the mausoleum of the father of the nation. He will show his respect. Also, he will visit two other places - Satkhira, another is Orakandi. India will also provide a lot of deliverables. This is his first visit abroad after COVID-19. That means he is giving lot of respect to Bangladesh. We are also reciprocating. WION: Any announcement on connectivity - a key focal point? Momen: We will open the Swadhinta Sadak, a road leading from Nadia to Mujib Nagar. This is a historic event. In 1971, on April 17, 17 vehicles from Calcutta took all our leaders, and international journalists. They came to Mujibnagar. The exile govt was established in Mujibnagar, where this road leads. We have a railway from Haldibari to Chilahati, which opened after 75 years. It is open for cargo, and now it will be open for passengers. Once it opens, we can move further. Connectivity is not just rail but also via road, air, railway, and river ways. We would like to move forward. I am from Sylhet, and my mother used to tell me that in that area, we have a big Mazar of a saint known as Hazrat Shah Jalal. In his Mazar, there are big utensils for cooking. We used to tell our mother, how such big utensils came. They came from Delhi, and legend has it, they came via river. My grandparents used to take the river route when they used to go to Calcutta. That is the norm. There was no railway, no flight, no road. So many rivers come from India, and it is time to open up all the river routes. Transport will be cost effective and it will be easier for our people to move around and we will follow the natural law of rivers. There are 54 rivers that come from India, we are working on six of them, plus Teesta. Our prime minister has a vision that the whole region has to develop. This can be done, together in partnership and collaboration. Happy we got good friend like PM Modi who is with our PM in meeting the same mission, developing the whole region as one. WION: How do you see India's vaccine outreach? Momen: This pandemic is a disaster and we did not know much about it. When it came, some of the experts projected that 5-10 million death will happen in Bangladesh due to the pandemic. Bangladesh is a very congested and highly densely populated country. We had lot of fear, naturally our PM Hasina took all the initiatives to avert the crisis. She has been successful. When we heard that vaccine is likely to come, immediately Bangladesh took certain positive steps. First, when we heard vaccine will be created, Bangladesh joined the movement and paid for it. We paid to European Union and had one condition, that vaccine should be considered a public good and should be available to everyone without any discrimination. Rich and poor, everyone should have access to vaccine. Then we came to know, vaccine is being produced in India in cooperation with the Oxford AstraZeneca. Immediately, we requested the company that we would like to be part of it. India agreed and assured that whenever India gets the vaccine, Bangladesh will also get the vaccine. Initially we asked for 30 million vaccines and we paid for it fully. Indian government agreed to sell those 30 million and sent 2 million as gift. We developed such a good relation and inspite of certain difficulties in India, Indian govt honoured its commitments. Each month we getting 5 million pieces of vaccines. In addition, India has offered India's indigenous vaccine - Bharat Biotech.

Delighted that PM of biggest democracy is joining our independence celebration: Bangladesh FM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the bond between Indian and Bangladeshi soldiers who fought together during the 1971 Liberation War and said that the bond will not cower to any kind of pressure.

Addressing the celebration ceremony of that Bangladesh's 50th year of liberation from Pakistan, PM Modi said, “Today in Bangladesh, the blood of those who fought for their liberation and the blood of Indian soldiers are flowing together. This blood will form such a relationship that will not break down under any kind of pressure and will not fall prey to any kind of diplomacy… I also salute the brave soldiers of the Indian Army who stood with my brothers and sisters of Bangladesh in ‘Muktijuddho’ [Liberation War]. I am happy that many Indian soldiers who participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War are present at this event today.”

He said, “I would like to remind brothers and&nbsp;sisters in Bangladesh with pride, being involved in the struggle for independence of Bangladesh was one of the first movements of my life. I must have been 20-22 years old when I &amp;my colleagues did Satyagraha for Bangladesh's freedom.”

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bangladesh50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bangladesh50</a> | "I must have been 20-22 years old when I, along with many of my colleagues, had done 'Satyagraha' for the freedom of Bangladesh. Being involved in the struggle for Bangladesh's independence was one of the first movements of my life," says PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://t.co/zjYfdEfZIa">pic.twitter.com/zjYfdEfZIa</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1375417212849192963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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PM Modi also quoted former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his speech. He said, "On 6 December 1971, Atal Ji had said -We aren't just fighting with people who're laying down their lives in the Liberation War, but we are also trying to give a new direction to history."

“Operation Searchlight and its violations haven't been discussed enough on global platforms. During this struggle, Bangabandhu was the ray of hope. His resilience and leadership had decided that no force would be able to stop the freedom of Bangladesh,” said PM Modi.

(With inputs from agencies)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the bond between Indian and Bangladeshi soldiers who fought together during the 1971 Liberation War and said that the bond will not cower to any kind of pressure.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the bond between Indian and Bangladeshi soldiers who fought together during the 1971 Liberation War and said that the bond will not cower to any kind of pressure. Addressing the celebration ceremony of that Bangladesh's 50th year of liberation from Pakistan, PM Modi said, “Today in Bangladesh, the blood of those who fought for their liberation and the blood of Indian soldiers are flowing together. This blood will form such a relationship that will not break down under any kind of pressure and will not fall prey to any kind of diplomacy… I also salute the brave soldiers of the Indian Army who stood with my brothers and sisters of Bangladesh in ‘Muktijuddho’ [Liberation War]. I am happy that many Indian soldiers who participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War are present at this event today.” He said, “I would like to remind brothers and sisters in Bangladesh with pride, being involved in the struggle for independence of Bangladesh was one of the first movements of my life. I must have been 20-22 years old when I &my colleagues did Satyagraha for Bangladesh's freedom.” #Bangladesh50 | "I must have been 20-22 years old when I, along with many of my colleagues, had done 'Satyagraha' for the freedom of Bangladesh. Being involved in the struggle for Bangladesh's independence was one of the first movements of my life," says PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/zjYfdEfZIa — WION (@WIONews) March 26, 2021 × PM Modi also quoted former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his speech. He said, "On 6 December 1971, Atal Ji had said -We aren't just fighting with people who're laying down their lives in the Liberation War, but we are also trying to give a new direction to history." “Operation Searchlight and its violations haven't been discussed enough on global platforms. During this struggle, Bangabandhu was the ray of hope. His resilience and leadership had decided that no force would be able to stop the freedom of Bangladesh,” said PM Modi. (With inputs from agencies)

Indian PM Narendra Modi recounts his ‘Satyagraha’ for Bangladesh liberation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with several community leaders, including representatives of minorities in Bangladesh, mukhtijoddhas, friends of India and youth icons on the first day of his 2-day visit to Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora as he marks his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 outbreak. Soon after he arrived in Dhaka, he visited the National Martyrs` Memorial (Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho), the National monument of Bangladesh to pay tributes to the valour and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. He also planted a sapling of Arjun tree at the memorial premises and signed the visitor`s book in the monument, MEA informed.&nbsp;

"I pay my heartfelt tribute to the patriotic martyrs of Bangladesh, whose glorious sacrifices enabled the birth of this great nation. May every visitor to this revered ground honour the sacred memory of the millions who were slain but not silenced," PM Modi wrote in the visitors' book.

"Their valour will continue to inspire future generations to fight injustice and defend the cause of righteousness. On behalf of the people of India, I pray that the eternal flame at Savar remains a lasting reminder of the noble victory of truth and courage over deceit and oppression," he further wrote.

Army bugles played the Last Post as the Bangladesh national flag was ceremonially hoisted at half-mast as Prime Minister Modi stood in solemn silence in front of the memorial as a mark of respect to the martyrs after placing a wreath.

Designed by Syed Mainul Hossain, the memorial at Savar, about 35 km north-west of Dhaka, comprises seven pairs of triangular-shaped walls -- each representing a significant chapter in Bangladesh's history, including the 1952 'Bhasha Andolan' (Language Movement) -- through which Bangladesh became an independent nation from Pakistan.

On reaching the memorial, Modi planted a sapling of the Arjuna tree "to commemorate sacrifices of the patriotic martyrs of Bangladesh", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted.

"This sapling has been planted as a mark of respect for the valorous martyrs of Bangladesh," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

The Prime Minister had arrived at the Dhaka airport earlier today for his two-day visit to Bangladesh. He received a warm welcome from his counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

PM Modi's visit comes as Bangladesh is celebrating its 50th independence day and the centennial birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He will later call on Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid during the visit and will hold restricted delegation-level talks with his counterpart Hasina.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with several community leaders, including representatives of minorities in Bangladesh, mukhtijoddhas, friends of India and youth icons on the first day of his 2-day visit to Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with several community leaders, including representatives of minorities in Bangladesh, mukhtijoddhas, friends of India and youth icons on the first day of his 2-day visit to Bangladesh. The Prime Minister received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora as he marks his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 outbreak. Soon after he arrived in Dhaka, he visited the National Martyrs` Memorial (Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho), the National monument of Bangladesh to pay tributes to the valour and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. He also planted a sapling of Arjun tree at the memorial premises and signed the visitor`s book in the monument, MEA informed. "I pay my heartfelt tribute to the patriotic martyrs of Bangladesh, whose glorious sacrifices enabled the birth of this great nation. May every visitor to this revered ground honour the sacred memory of the millions who were slain but not silenced," PM Modi wrote in the visitors' book. "Their valour will continue to inspire future generations to fight injustice and defend the cause of righteousness. On behalf of the people of India, I pray that the eternal flame at Savar remains a lasting reminder of the noble victory of truth and courage over deceit and oppression," he further wrote. Army bugles played the Last Post as the Bangladesh national flag was ceremonially hoisted at half-mast as Prime Minister Modi stood in solemn silence in front of the memorial as a mark of respect to the martyrs after placing a wreath. Designed by Syed Mainul Hossain, the memorial at Savar, about 35 km north-west of Dhaka, comprises seven pairs of triangular-shaped walls -- each representing a significant chapter in Bangladesh's history, including the 1952 'Bhasha Andolan' (Language Movement) -- through which Bangladesh became an independent nation from Pakistan. On reaching the memorial, Modi planted a sapling of the Arjuna tree "to commemorate sacrifices of the patriotic martyrs of Bangladesh", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted. "This sapling has been planted as a mark of respect for the valorous martyrs of Bangladesh," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. The Prime Minister had arrived at the Dhaka airport earlier today for his two-day visit to Bangladesh. He received a warm welcome from his counterpart Sheikh Hasina. PM Modi's visit comes as Bangladesh is celebrating its 50th independence day and the centennial birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He will later call on Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid during the visit and will hold restricted delegation-level talks with his counterpart Hasina. (With inputs from agencies)

Bangladesh 50th Anniversary: PM Modi meets leaders, Mukhtijoddhas; pays homage to martyrs in Bangladesh