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Update : 23 February, 2017 22:43 pm

Sheikh Hasina's India visit in April

Online Desk
Sheikh Hasina's India visit in April

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to India in an official visit in the first half of April.

Prime Minister's deputy press secretary M Nazrul Islam told the journalists after a meeting of Indian foreign secretary Dr S Jaishankar with the prime minister at the Parliament on Thursday.

Nazrul Islam said, "Prime Minister is scheduled to visit India in the first half of April".

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Sheikh Hasina to visit India after his visit to  Bangladesh in 2015.

Although Hasina was, earlier, scheduled to visit India in December, later the visit was postponed. While visiting Bangladesh, Indian state minister for foreign affairs M J Akbar hinted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit in the first half of February, which did not happen.

About the bilateral visit, foreign minister AH Mahmud Ali, earlier, said, "The Prime Minister's India visit is 'significant' and 'sensitive'".

BSS adds: "Through the visit the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh would be strengthened further," the Indian foreign secretary told the prime minister.

The visit would mainly focus on mutual interests and development initiative side by side with connectivity, Jaishankar said.

Pointing out mutual solution of various problems between the two next-door neighbours, including Land Boundary and enclave problems, the prime minister said: "We could solve any problem through discussion if we have good intention."

Sheikh Hasina put emphasis on increasing connectivity between the countries of this region as well as strengthening cooperation in other sectors for welfare of the people of the region.

When the Indian foreign secretary raised the issue of SAARC which now remained stalled, the premier said: "We should not let it die down."

While talking about the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement, Sheikh Hasina underscored the need for making effective this initiative in the greater interest of the four nations.

"The BBIN initiative should be effective and we should solve any problem regarding the initiative through discussion," she said.

The Indian foreign secretary said his country would take more development projects in Bangladesh as per its (Bangladesh) need.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsha Bardhan Shringla were present on the occasion.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh on June 6-7 in 2015. Jaishankar arrived here today on a two-day tour to finalize the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India and brief Sheikh Hasina about its preparations, diplomatic sources said.