In first high-level engagement between India and Bangladesh after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit to Dhaka from June 25 to June 27. She will pay “a goodwill visit” at the invitation of her Bangladesh counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.This is going to be Swaraj’s first stand-alone visit abroad as the External Affairs Minister and reflects the importance that India attaches to its bilateral relationship with Bangladesh, a close friend and neighbour, said Indian External Affairs Ministry.The Indian side hoped that the visit will provide further momentum to the friendly relationship between India and Bangladesh.During the three-day visit, the Indian External Affairs Minister is scheduled to meet President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.She is also likely to meet top opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.The Indian Minister is likely to arrive here on Wednesday night and leave for New Delhi on Friday morning, sources said.The Indian External Affairs Minister will also have engagement with think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.”The visit of our Foreign Minister will be crucial as it is likely to make some headway in the relationship in some areas,” an official of Indian Embassy in Dhaka told The New Nation on condition of anonymity.The senior Indian Minister will hold extensive talks covering the entire gamut of bilateral relations with Bangladesh Foreign Minister, he added.He also said that the new India government is committed to its relationship with Bangladesh and it is looking forward for a better bilateral engagement with its next-door neighbour that it was in the past. “The new government would honour Indian commitment that the country had given to Bangladesh in the past. We hope and believe the NDA government will work sincerely to resolve all long-standing bilateral issues remained pending for years,” he added. When asked, our Foreign Minister will hold wide range of bilateral issues and the commitment of the new government during her meetings with the Bangladesh’s top leaders. The official of the Indian embassy also said the regime change will not affect the Dhaka -Delhi relationships. Confirming the visit, acting Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque told The New Nation yesterday that Indian External Affairs Minister will arrive Dhaka on Wednesday for a three-day visit.We have already received her visit schedules, he added. During her visit, she will hold talks with President, Prime Minister and also our Foreign Minister. He, however, declined to comment about the issues to be discussed between the two Foreign Ministers. Sources at the foreign office, however, said that the two sides will hold extensive talks on crucial long-standing bilateral issues including water sharing on common rivers, trade, economic cooperation and energy security.They will also deliberate on regional and international issues of mutual concern, they said. When asked, he said, Dhaka will raise pending issues of Teesta water sharing and land boundary ratification during foreign minister level talks.The Indian External Affair Minister is likely to meet the press before leaving Dhaka, said a foreign ministry official.
