Thanking Sheikh Hasina for the welcome, Modi tweeted, "Hello Bangladesh. I bring with me the affection and goodwill of the people of India. Thank you PM Sheikh Hasina for the warm welcome. I look forward to a very good visit that will strengthen ties between India and Bangladesh."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a tight schedule as besides holding detailed talks with Hasina, he will attend several programmes and pay a visit to the Memorial of the 1971 liberation war.
Besides signing pacts to improve connectivity between the two countries, there will be efforts by both the sides to enhance trade.
Prime Minister Modi visits National Martyrs' Memorial in Dhaka
Bangladesh is an important trading partner for India, with two-way trade in 2012-2013 standing at $5.34 billion and India's exports to Bangladesh accounting for $4.776 billion besides imports of $0.564 million.
Modi and Hasina are likely to sign the Land Boundary Agreement in the evening. In the recently concluded Budget Session, Parliament had passed a historic constitution amendment bill seeking to settle India's 41-year-old border issue with Bangladesh. The bill will operationalise the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary agreement that provides for exchange of 161 enclaves between the two countries
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina today Saturday June 06,2015 witnessed the exchange of instrument of ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement between the two countries in Dhaka. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present.
Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-km-long border, most of which is porous, and both the countries are likely to try and find ways to enhance security cooperation, particularly to further contain northeast insurgent groups.
The Hasina government has taken steps against northeast terrorists who used to take refuge in Bangladesh. There has been perceptible decline in activities of Pakistan-backed fundamentalist elements in Bangladesh, and Modi would like to further cement bilateral ties with the Hasina government considering India's strategic interests.
India has already announced that the long-pending Teesta water-sharing pact with Bangladesh will not be signed during the visit.
Even after 18 years, the Teesta water-sharing pact is far from being sealed despite the two countries agreeing on a 50:50 formula in 2011. Water is a state subject in India and without West Bengal signing up, the Teesta water pact cannot be sealed. It took 20 years for the two countries to seal a water-sharing pact on the Ganga in 1996.
The Teesta deal was set to be inked during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September, 2011 but was postponed at the last minute due to objections by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had also dropped out of the Prime Ministerial delegation.
Teesta water is crucial for Bangladesh, especially in the leanest period from December to March when the water flow often temporarily comes down to less than 1,000 cusecs from 5,000 cusecs.
Modi and Hasina will flag-off the bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka and the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus service.
The two countries are keen to strengthen railway connectivity, particularly to revive railway links which were in existence prior to 1965.
The two countries are also set to sign a coastal shipping agreement to facilitate sailing of small vessels from India to various ports in Bangladesh which now go through Singapore.
India will also push for involvement of Indian companies in setting up of ports in that country.
The issue of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement is also likely to figure in the talks Modi will have with Hasina
Note
India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km border. Five Indian states - West Bengal (2,217 km), Assam (262 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km) - have a border with Bangladesh
ReplyDeletegoing by the current noise, I see an eerie similarity between Dr Manmohan Singh and Modi.......Dr Manmohan Singh, whatever his worth, always appeared more at ease and seemed to come into his own when he used to be outside the country......within the country, he was always ill at ease....Modi too has done fantastically well on the foreign policy front, and everybody has acknowledged it.....but he is facing problems in the Parliament and within the country....while Dr Singh had the excuse of being a remote control and, therefore, not in control of things within the country, Modi too appears to be saddled with various problems within the country........One explanation could be that people expected lot from him and the opposition is now making the right noises -- aided by inclement weather -- to make matters worse for him....what say?
India vs Bangladesh 2015