DHAKA, Jan 31, 2021 (BSS) – Dhaka has proposed New Delhi to arrange the planned bilateral talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on March 27 in Dhaka, foreign secretary Masud bin Momen said here today.
“We proposed them to hold the bilateral talks on March 27 as the Indian prime minister is likely to arrive here either on March 25 or 26,” Masud told reporters at his office as he returned home today after holding bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan Shringla in New Delhi on Friday.
The foreign secretary said that Modi would attend the grand celebration of golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence here in the evening on March 26.
“Before the prime minister level talks, Indian foreign minister J Shankar will visit Dhaka,” he said, adding that the visit could be held at the end of February.
Besides, four secretary level meetings are scheduled to be held before the Hasina-Modi talks in March.
Of the four meetings, secretaries of home, commerce and shipping ministries will be held in Dhaka while the secretary level meeting of Joint River Commission (JRC) will be held in New Delhi.
The foreign secretary also said the two foreign ministries are currently working on 4-5 MoUs those are supposed to be signed during the upcoming premier level talks.
“We are expecting important inputs in our preparatory work on MoUs from the four secretary level talks,” he added.
During the foreign secretary level talks between Bangladesh and India, both sides held detailed discussions on the wide-ranging areas of ongoing cooperation between the two countries.
They discussed preparations for the Modi’s Dhaka visit in March, 2021 in connection with celebration of Mujib Borsho and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence and Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations.
They also discussed joint celebration of the anniversaries in select capitals of the world.
Bangladesh requested the Indian side to consider Dhaka’s proposal to name the historic road from Mujib Nagar to Nodia on Bangladesh-India border as “Shadhinota Shorok” commemorating the historic significance of the road during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
The foreign secretary said the road is likely to be inaugurated during the PM-level meeting while the two premiers are expected to inaugurate the Feni Bridge. COVID-19 related cooperation was discussed and Bangladesh thanked India for the timely support, particularly in the area of vaccines, he said.
During the talk, Bangladesh reiterated the request for signing of the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement while the Indian side assured that the matter is under consideration.
The two foreign secretaries also discussed the need for increased cooperation between Border Forces with a view to bringing down border killings to zero.
Bangladesh requested a deeper engagement of India for creating a conducive environment in the Rakhine state for a sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals Rohingyas.
Regarding trade cooperation, Bangladesh side reiterated its request to India for addressing the various non-tariff barriers on export of goods from Bangladesh to India and also to simplify customs procedures.
Thanking India for championing connectivity initiatives in the region, Bangladesh requested early operationalisation of the Motor Vehicle Agreement under the framework of Bangladesh-India-Nepal (BIN) to start with.
Dhaka also requested New Delhi to consider allowing use of new land and rail routes and land ports via India for facilitating connectivity between Bangladesh and Nepal as well as Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Noting the efficacy of the Air Bubble arrangements in the COVID-19 situation, both the secretaries’ sides welcomed extension of Air Bubble flights between Bangladesh and India until 30 April or resumption of regular flights, whichever is earlier.
Masud said Dhaka and New Delhi are considering to resume tourists and students visa soon, at least on a limited scale.
Expeditious implementation of the projects under Lines of Credit (LoC) was discussed while Bangladesh side flagged the need to streamline issues such as project approval process, raw material sourcing, banking requirements, and calculation of grace period.