At her ceremonial reception, Bangladesh PM recalls India’s contribution to her country’s liberation.
India and Bangladesh on Tuesday signed seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina at Hyderabad House in New Delhi to strengthen relations between the two neighbouring countries.
These agreements in the key areas of water resources, capacity building, railways, science and technologies were signed after delegation-level talks led by PM Modi and Hasina. “India–Bangladesh delegation level talks led by PM @narendramodi & PM Sheikh Hasina commence. On the agenda are issues related to connectivity, energy, water resources, trade & investment, border management & security, development partnership and regional & multilateral matters,” tweeted Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Before the signing of the MOUs, the Bangladesh prime minister and her Indian counterpart held bilateral talks to review and further strengthen the ties. Bagchi said in a tweet that both leaders had met 12 times since 2015. “PM @narendramodi and PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh hold talks to review and further strengthen the all-encompassing India-Bangladesh partnership. Having met 12 times already since 2015, regular engagements between our leaders add significant momentum to ties,” the MEA spokesperson tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Hasina received a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Modi received Hasina as she arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present. Hasina also met President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Soon after the welcome, the Bangladesh prime minister said she felt at home every time she visited India. Underlining the significant ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, Hasina said, “India is our friend. Whenever I come here, it is a pleasure for me, especially because we always recall the contribution India has made during our liberation war. We have a friendly relationship, we are cooperating with each other.”
“Our main aim is to develop the economy and fulfill the basic needs of our people. With friendship you can solve any problem. So we always do that,” Hasina added.
Hasina began her four-day visit to India on Monday as Bangladesh is an essential partner under India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy. Soon after arriving in New Delhi, the Bangladesh prime minister met Jaishankar and discussed issues of bilateral interest.