Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has landed in New Delhi on her two-day state visit to India on Friday to further bolster the close ties between the two countries. Hasina's visit marks the first incoming bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the new government was formed in India. She was also the one among seven top leaders from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Indian neighbourhood who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.
According to the schedule of her visit, she will meet PM Modi on Saturday and hold wide-ranging talks. During the meeting, both leaders are likely to make agreements providing for cooperation in several sectors.
"At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina will pay a state visit to India on June 21 and 22," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "This will be the first incoming bilateral state visit after the formation of the government in India following the 18th Lok Sabha elections," it said.
Shiekh Hasina to meet President and Vice President
Apart from a scheduled meeting with the PM, Sheikh Hasina will also call-on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the MEA said in a statement. Meanwhile, upon her arrival on Friday evening, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to call on her.
The talks between the two prime ministers are expected to focus on taking the bilateral ties to new heights, said a source. Notably, the course relations between India and Bangladesh has seen an upswing in the last few years.
Strengthening relationings between India and Bangladesh
It is pertinent to note that India, under its "Neighbourhood First" policy, has always considered Bangladesh an important partner and cooperation extends to areas of security, trade, commerce, energy, connectivity, science and technology, defence and maritime affairs among others.
In the connectivity sector, India and Bangladesh are making stride through the Maitri Setu bridge over river Feni in Tripura and the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link. Bangladesh is India's largest development partner with nearly one-fourth of New Delhi's commitment under the Line of Credit has been made to that country.
Talking about the trade relations between the two countries, Bangladesh is India's biggest trading partner in South Asia while India is the second biggest trading partner of Bangladesh in the Asian continent.
Apart from that, India is Bangladesh's largest export destination in Asia. As of year 2022-23, Bangladeshi exports to India stood at about $2 billion. Moreover, the bilateral trade between both countries in 2022-23 was reported to be at USD 15.9 billion.
(With PTI Inputs)
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