PM Hasina’s India visit to further enhance ties: Delhi

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a four-day state visit to India from September 5, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India on Thursday.

Making a formal announcement about the forthcoming visit of Sheikh Hasina, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the high-level engagement will further strengthen ties between the two close neighbours and it will move forward.

PM Hasina is visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi from September 5 to 8. She is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The MEA spokesperson said, “PM Hasina will have a bilateral meeting likely to be held on September 6. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will call on the visiting Prime Minister. Before leaving for Dhaka, PM Hasina will visit Ajmer Dargah. The last visit of PM Hasina was in 2019.”

About participation of the chief ministers in the delegation-level talks or in other engagements, including banquets, he said, “At the moment, I have no information about the participation of the chief ministers. If you know you can inform us. Yet some more days are left for the finalisation of the delegation list. Let us wait for it.”

Later, sources from the MEA raised doubts about the participation of the chief ministers. One of the Chief Ministers is Mamata Banerjee whom PM Hasina has already sent a letter expressing desire to meet her in the capital during her visit.

There is no confirmation from the chief minister secretariat about the visit of Mamata Banerrjee to capital Delhi. West Bengal shares longest border with Bangladesh apart from Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and Mijoram.

When asked about the past protocol, the MEA spokesperson said, “I don’t want to comment on the past protocol.”

Sources also said either President Murmu or PM Modi will host a banquet in honour of PM Hasina.

The same sources said India gives much importance to Bangladesh. Therefore when the two PMs meet, a lot of decisions to carry forward the relationship will be taken. But he did not elaborate on the agenda of the bilateral meeting. It is expected that water resources, energy security and connectivity will figure mostly in the talks.

During her visit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will call on President of India, Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankar and hold bilateral consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will call on her. Sheikh Hasina is also likely to visit Ajmer.

In the recent years, both sides have sustained high level of engagement, including at the highest level.

The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding.