#WATCH | Delhi: On Bangladesh PM Shiekh Hasina's state visit to India, FS Vinay Kwatra says, "... The two sides exchanged the MoU on space technology, which seeks to establish collaboration for the launch of a jointly developed small satellite for Bangladesh on India's launch… pic.twitter.com/OUYSbzYfpC
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2024
June 22, 2024. 05:30PM (GMT+6)
The state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India reflects the depth of the Bangladesh-India Maitri (friendship), Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said.
PM Hasina is the first state guest in India’s new term shows the importance they attach to the Bangladesh-India relationship, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Bangladesh lies at the intersection of their Neighborhood First, Act East, SAGAR and Indo-Pacific policies.
“Being truly good neighbours, our ties are consolidating traditional areas and covering new ground,” Jaishankar said in a message shared from X.
Today’s State visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reflects the depth of the Bharat-Bangladesh Maitri.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 22, 2024
That PM Hasina is the first State guest in our new term shows the importance we attach to the 🇮🇳 🇧🇩 relationship. As PM @narendramodi said, Bangladesh lies at the… pic.twitter.com/uLSwFUS0yO
The documents signed today show the breadth of the bonds, he said.
“From seas to space, digital, green and health, military, rail and disaster, our two countries are collaborating across all avenues of human endeavour,” said Jaishankar.
He said he is confident that under PM Narendra Modi and PM Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh-India partnership will keep growing from strength to strength.
June 22, 2024. 04:50PM (GMT+6)
The day’s events began with a warm reception as Prime Minister Modi greeted Prime Minister Hasina upon her arrival at Hyderabad House shortly before noon.
Following a brief photo session, the two leaders proceeded to the Nilgiri meeting room for a private discussion, setting the stage for the subsequent official deliberations.
The formal bilateral meeting took place in Garner Hall, where both leaders led their respective delegations in extensive talks. The discussions covered a range of bilateral issues, reinforcing the commitment to strengthen ties and cooperation across multiple domains.
The outcome was the signing of ten MoUs, reflecting the shared aspirations of India and Bangladesh to enhance collaboration in areas such as trade, technology, and regional connectivity.
Following the delegation-level talks, Prime Ministers Hasina addressed the media in a joint press statement at Kailash Hall.
They highlighted the significance of the agreements signed and underscored the importance of their partnership in fostering regional stability and development.
Prime Minister Modi’s assurance regarding the Teesta water distribution was a pivotal moment in the press statement. The Teesta River, which swells with monsoon rains but dwindles to a trickle in the dry season, is crucial for the irrigation and livelihoods of millions in Bangladesh.
The promise of an Indian technical team’s visit to Bangladesh signals a proactive approach to resolving the long-standing water-sharing issue, which has been a point of contention between the two neighbours.
June 22, 2024. 03:25PM (GMT+6)
Teesta River
India is sending a technical team soon to Bangladesh for the proposed Teesta River conservation and management project.
Both countries will also take initiative for technical-level talks on the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty as it expires in 2026.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement after the bilateral meeting.
“For the conservation and management of Teesta River in Bangladesh, a technical team will visit Bangladesh soon,” he said.
Bangladesh made the plan to conserve Teesta as India could not sign a water-sharing deal due to the opposition of the West Bengal government.
China showed interest to fund it as the project requires about $1 billion.
India also came up with their interest and it was expected that an announcement would come following the meeting of the two leaders.
Both leaders endorsed a vision statement for the peace and prosperity of the two nations.
“We have kept connectivity, commerce and collaboration as our focus. In the last 10 years, we have restored the connectivity that existed before 1965. We will now focus on digital and energy connectivity even more,” Modi said.
“This will speed up the economies of both countries. Both sides are ready to initiate talks on CEPA to take our economic ties to new heights…54 rivers connect India and Bangladesh – we have cooperated over flood management, early warning and drinking water projects,” he said.
“We have decided to take initiative for technical-level talks on the renewal of 1996 Ganga Water Treaty.”
June 22, 2024. 02:01PM (GMT+6)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Dhaka and New Delhi agreed on a shared vision for digital and green partnership to ensure a sustainable future for both nations.
“Both countries endorsed the ‘Vision Statement’ to guide us toward a peaceful and prosperous future. We agreed to have a shared vision for ‘Digital Partnership’ and ‘Green Partnership for a Sustainable Future,” she said.
The Bangladesh premier came up with the remarks in a joint statement before the media after a tete-e-tete and bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi followed by the signing of several instruments at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
#WATCH | Delhi: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says, "This is my first bilateral visit to any country after Bangladesh's 12th parliamentary elections and the formation of our new government in January 2024. India is our major neighbour, trusted friend, and regional partner.… pic.twitter.com/nLDv52LJJz
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2024
The entire gamut of binary relationships that includes sharing of water from common rivers, security, and trade has prominently come for discussion during the bilateral meeting of two neighbouring countries, she said.
Describing India as Bangladesh’s major neighbour, trusted friend, and regional partner, Sheikh Hasina said: “Bangladesh greatly values our relations with India, which were born during our War of Liberation in 1971.”
She also said Bangladesh-India relations are ever-growing at a fast pace.
“Today, our two sides had very productive meetings where we discussed politics and security, trade and connectivity, the sharing of water from common rivers, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation, among other issues of mutual interest,” she added.
The premier said, “We agreed to collaborate with each other for the betterment of our people and countries”.
June 22, 2024. 01:15PM (GMT+6)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will start e-medical visa facility for Bangladeshis. PM Narendra Modi said they have taken the initiative to open a new Assistant High Commission in Rangpur for the convenience of the people of the North West region of Bangladesh.
“I wish both the teams all the best for the Cricket World Cup match this evening…Bangladesh is India’s largest development partner and we give utmost priority to our relations with Bangladesh…,” he said.
“In the last one year, we have met 10 times, but today’s meeting is special because PM Hasina is the first state guest of our third government. Bangladesh is crucial for our Neighbourhood First policy, Act East Policy, Vision SAGAR, and Indo-Pacific vision. We have completed several developmental programmes together in the last year,” PM Modi said at the press statement.
Prime Minister Modi further said that India and Bangladesh have started trading in Indian Rupees. He also highlighted the electricity export from Nepal to Bangladesh using the Indian grid.
“The sixth rail link between India and Bangladesh has started between Jakhoda and Agartala has started. Cargo services have been started for our north-eastern states with the Khulna-Mongla Port… Trade in Indian Rupees has started between the two countries. The world’s longest river cruise on the Ganges River between India and Bangladesh has been successfully completed,” PM Modi said.
June 22, 2024. 12:02PM (GMT+6)
After a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed, three of which are renewals of existing agreements.
The MoUs:
1. India-Bangladesh Green Partnership.
2. Maritime cooperation and the blue economy.
3. Renewal of old agreements on health and medicine.
4. MoU of IN-SPACE and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of India.
5. MoU regarding connectivity between the Railway Ministries of the two countries.
6. Agreement between the two countries on marine research.
7. Renewal of existing agreement between the National Disaster Management Authority of India and Bangladesh Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management in disaster management and mitigation.
8. Renewal of existing agreements on fisheries development.
9. MoU between Defense Services Staff College, Wellington-India and Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur on military education cooperation in strategic and operational sectors.
10. Bangladesh-India Digital Partnership.
