Diplomatic Correspondent :
Both Bangladesh and India want to take the bilateral relations to a new height and deepen the relations in the coming days in the arenas of trade and commerce and other fields to resolve the existing problems.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said, both the countries have relation communication during the pandemic and the relations of the two friendly nations have progressed much.
About his visit, he said, he has been visiting Dhaka to intensify the bilateral relations and both countries want to take this relation to a new height.
After holding a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, he said this to the journalists.
Asked about the Indian assistance to the withdrawal of RAB’s sanctions, he said, “Your foreign minister will answer this.”
Then Momen said that both the countries are working on it.
Jaishankar also said both Bangladesh and India are working on signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen trade and economic ties.
About his visit Indian Foreign Minister said, “It’s really a great pleasure to visit Bangladesh. I came to Dhaka after more than one year. The most important thing is that both the countries continued regular bilateral meetings amid the challenges of the pandemic.”
“Our bilateral relations have progressed much in various arenas,” he added.
He also said both the Indian President and Prime Minister visited Bangladesh for the first time in last year. “This is really a landmark. It is the fifty years of our diplomatic relations,” he added.
Jaishankar expected early commissioning of new projects with Bangladesh in different sectors including power, energy and connectivity sectors to take forward of what “we have done in the last few years”.
He said India also looks forward to stronger sub-regional cooperation and connectivity in energy sector particularly the hydropower domain that could offer opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries in the region.
“India is a large producer and consumer of energy and we are very glad to work with our neighbours in that regard including in the BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) framework,” he said.
Momen said, “The golden chapter between the two countries is continuing. It is really matchless in the history how the two countries are working. We have resolved the big problems. The minor issues will also be resolved as both sides have pledged.”
Earlier Foreign Minister Momen received his counterpart at BAF Base Bangabanhdu in Dhaka where Jaishankar arrived by a special flight of the Indian Air Force.
Then in the afternoon he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Gonobhaban to hand over the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit to Delhi.
At the meeting Sheikh Hasina stressed on the connectivity between the two countries to increase trade and commerce and cultural exchange.
Jaishankar is scheduled to leave for Bhutan by Indian Air Force special flight at 8:30 am on Friday after wrapping up his Bangladesh visit. Jaishankar paid his last visit to Bangladesh in March 2021.
