The Foreign Secretary of India Dr. S Jaishankar paid a bilateral visit to Bangladesh . The visit was part of regular interaction between the two sides. Foreign Secretary called on Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Mr. A H Mahmood Ali, MP on 11th May and met with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mr. M. Shahidul Haque.
During the talks, both Foreign Secretaries reviewed progress on decisions and understandings reached during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in June 2015. Both sides noted with appreciation that there has been excellent implementation of decisions taken, which are evident from the results in all sectors. Key developments include progress on implementation of Land Boundary Agreement, commencement of supply of 100 MW power from Palatana, Tripura to eastern Bangladesh; supply of internet bandwidth from Bangladesh to Tripura; launch of coastal shipping services from Chittagong to Krishnapatnam; progress on energy cooperation; signing of the Dollar Credit Line Agreement for execution of projects under the US$ 2 billion Line of Credit. Both sides also took stock of decisions made during recent meetings of various bilateral mechanisms in the areas of Security & Border Management, Power, Shipping, Railways, Health, Blue Economy, Establishment of Indian SEZs in Bangladesh etc.
Both Foreign Secretaries also shared their perspectives on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Foreign Secretary Dr. Jaishankar conveyed India’s strong support to Bangladesh in its fight against extremism and terrorism, particularly in response to recent attacks against vulnerable sections of society.
The visit was useful in preparing the ground for the next meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission led by the two Foreign Ministers to be held in Dhaka in the second half of 2016.