Bangladesh and India will discuss the whole range of bilateral issues, including the much-sought Teesta water sharing and Rohingya issues, during the official talks to be held today (Monday).
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and his Indian counterpart Vijay Keshav Gokhale will hold the talks at two state guest houses-Padma and Meghna. The meeting will begin at 9am and continue till 12:30pm, an official told UNB on Sunday. The Bangladesh side is expected to seek stronger support from India to expedite the Rohingya repatriation process and an update on Teesta water sharing issue, a diplomatic source said.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale arrived here on Sunday afternoon on a two-day visit to attend the meeting. His Bangladesh counterpart Shahidul Haque received him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla was present. Both sides will sign a number of Memorandums
of Understanding (MoUs) but officials did not say on which areas the MoUs will be inked.
Sources at the Foreign Ministry said the two secretaries might also discuss the possibilities of a meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 (CHOGM) that will be held in London and Windsor on April 16-20. The two sides are also expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest, officials said.
The Indian Foreign Secretary will attend an event on bilateral conclave on ‘India-Bangladesh Relations: Deepening Cooperation and the Way Ahead’ to be organised by the Institute of Policy, Advocacy and Governance (IPAG) this afternoon at a city hotel with Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi being present as the chief guest. Meanwhile, Vijay Gokhale met Vice Foreign Minister of China Kong Xuanyou in New Delhi on Friday as part of regular diplomatic consultations between India and China. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the recent developments in bilateral relations and discussed the agenda for bilateral engagement, including high-level exchanges, in the coming months.
On March 28 last, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval attended the Bimstec national security chiefs’ meeting.
