On maiden trip, Bangladesh FM to meet PM Modi today
New Delhi: Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Momen, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday late evening on his first foreign trip after winning the general elections late last year, has been invited by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to attend the 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting.
Ahead of the JCC scheduled for Friday, the visiting minister, accompanied by a high-level delegation from Bangladesh, will meet Prime Minister Modi on Thursday morning. It's learnt that Momen will hand over a letter from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to her Indian counterpart. Modi was the first foreign leader to greet Sheikh Hasina after the December 30 election results.
According to sources, the letter might contain an invitation for PM Modi to visit Bangladesh as early as possible. Soon after taking charge, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister had made his government's intention clear to give priority for economic diplomacy for the enhancement of Bangladesh's economy. During the JCC meeting, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between Niranjan Hiranandani, co-founder and managing director of Hiranandani Group, and Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority for developing an Indian Economic Zone in Mongla in Bangladesh. The economic zone will aim at reducing the trade deficit between the two countries in favour of Bangladesh.
In total, five MoUs are expected to be signed between the two countries. The MoUs include between Anti-corruption Commission of Bangladesh and CBI, Bangladesh Health Ministry and AYUSH on medicinal plants, Bangladesh Television and Prasar Bharati and one on good governance and capacity building for the Bangladesh civil service.
During the JPC meeting, the entire gamut of bilateral relations ranging from trade and investment, security cooperation, connectivity, border management, defence cooperation, energy, shipping, and people-to-people exchanges are expected to come up for discussion. In an effort to improve connectivity in the north eastern region (NER) and enhancing trade with Bangladesh, the two countries recently agreed to consider inclusion of the Rupnarayan River from Geonkhali to Kolaghat in the protocol route and to declare Kolaghat as new port of call. For the movement of construction material from India to Bangladesh through inland water transportation (IWT) on the Rupnarayan river, Chilmari has been designated as a port of call in Bangladesh. On reciprocal basis, the two sides have agreed to declare Badarpur on the river Barak as an extended port of call of Karimganj in Assam and Ghorasal of Ashuganj in Bangladesh.
Besides discussing regional issues of mutual interest with the leaders, the visiting minister is expected to seek increased support from India to resolve the Rohingya crisis. According to reports, Bangladesh has been asking for an early resolution of the Rohingya crisis as it is worried that it would expose the country and the neighbourhood to threats of radicalisation. He will also meet former President Pranab Mukherjee at the latter's residence.
The last JCC meeting was held in Dhaka on October 22-23, 2017. Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi will host a dinner on Friday in honour of the visiting minister and his delegation. Wrapping up his three-day visit, the Bangladesh foreign minister will leave for Dhaka on Saturday morning.
