In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday drove to the IGI airport here to receive his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and expressed confidence that bilateral ties will be taken to a new level.
Modi set aside protocol to go to the airport, travelling through the normal traffic without any route restrictions, official sources said.
"Delighted to welcome H.E. Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, on her State Visit to India," he tweeted later.
"PM Sheikh Hasina and I are determined to take the relationship between our nations to a new level," he added in another tweet.
Bangladesh PM Shiekh Hasina arrived here on Friday on a four-day visit during which she will hold wide-ranging talks with PM Narendra Modi and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
During Hasina's visit, which is her first after Modi assumed office in 2014, the two sides will be signing at least 25 pacts in various key sectors including civil nuclear cooperation and defence but any agreement on the Teesta water sharing is unlikely to be inked.
"The central government will not go ahead with the agreement on Teesta without taking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on board and she has been opposing it stridently citing water crisis in the state." Modi and Hasina, who is staying at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, will hold comprehensive discussions on Saturday. India is also set to announce a line of credit of $ 500 million to Bangladesh for military supplies.
The two counterparts are also holding bilateral talks on Saturday morning at the Hyderabad House. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accepted an invitation by the government to attend the launch of some projects between the two countries as well as a lunch to be hosted by Modi in honour of Hasina.
At 12.30 pm PM Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hasina and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will jointly flag off the trial run of the 2nd Maitree Express from Khulna to Kolkata and the Radhikapur to Biral High-Speed diesel wagon service through video link following lunch.
This train service is expected to commence from July, Railway officials said. A new bus service between Kolkata to Khulna will also be launched during the program.
Issues, like combating terrorism, containing radicalism and enhancing security cooperation between the two countries, are likely to figure prominently, besides stalemate over the Teesta pact during talks between Modi and Hasina.