Delhi/Dhaka, Feb 15 (FN Agency) Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who is visiting Dhaka, on Wednesday called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and conveyed that the premier and her leadership have the full support of India, a PMO spokesperson said in Dhaka. The Indian Foreign Secretary paid a courtesy call on Hasina at the premier’s official Gono Bhaban residence. “You and your leadership have our total support,” a PMO spokesperson quoted the Indian top diplomat as telling the premier, while Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh considers India a trusted friend and expressed hope that this friendship would deepen further. Bangladesh Prime Minister’s speech writer Md Nazrul Islam at a media briefing said Kwatra told Sheikh Hasina that New Delhi would remain on Bangladesh’s side in its development endeavours, including political and economic progress.
Islam said that the Indian foreign secretary invited Sheikh Hasina to the 18th edition of the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit which would take place in New Delhi on September 9-10 this year. Hasina accepted the invitation and extended thanks to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who as the current chair of the G-20 grouping of larger economies, invited Bangladesh as a “guest country” in its all meetings, he said. According to the spokesman, the top Indian official described Dhaka-New Delhi ties to be “very firm” and said the entire world now values the relationship as it has reached a strategic level.
This relationship is being strengthened further, he added. Sheikh Hasina said both countries could work on their mutual socio-economic development. Kwatra also said New Delhi was trying to make the terms and conditions of the Indian Lines of Credit (LoC) easier so that Bangladesh could avail the credit and repay it easily. He said the local currencies of both the countries could be used to run bilateral trades and businesses. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma were present. The Indian High Commission, in a tweet on the meeting, said: “Foreign Secretary @AmbVMKwatra paid a courtesy call on Hon’ble Prime Minister H.E Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. FS conveyed warm wishes of PM @narendramodi to PM H.E Sheikh Hasina and reaffirmed India’s support for wider and deeper development & economic partnership with Bangladesh.” According to an Indian statement, Foreign Secretary Kwatra during his call on PM Hasina conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message of India’s continued commitment to the bilateral relationship, upholding Bangladesh as the pivot of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and a key partner of its ‘Act East Policy’. Foreign Secretary Kwatra also called on Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen and conveyed the greetings of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
During the Foreign Office consultations, Foreign Secretary Kwatra and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen held wide-ranging discussions covering all aspects of the relationship. Both sides agreed to further strengthen ongoing bilateral cooperation, in diverse areas, including the Government of India-funded concessional Lines of Credit, trade and investment, connectivity, power and energy, defence and security, and people-to-people ties. They also agreed to enhance their cooperation and consultations on regional and international issues of shared interest. In this context, India looks forward to active participation of Bangladesh as the Guest Country at various events during India’s presidency of G-20. Both sides also agreed to extend reciprocal support to each other’s upcoming candidature for Non-Permanent membership of the UN Security Council, the statement said. In recent years, especially in the last decade, India and Bangladesh have sustained high level of engagement, including at the leaders’ level. The visit of Foreign Secretary helped further strengthen the multifaceted partnership between the two countries, reinforced their time-tested ties and provided an opportunity to comprehensively review progress in the bilateral relationship, it added.