Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra on two-day visit to Bangladesh from Feb 15

Kwatra will travel to Dhaka at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday

Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra will be on a two-day visit to Bangladesh from February 15 to review bilateral relations and identify new areas of cooperation.

Bangladesh is India’s top-most development partner and also its largest trade partner in the region. (ANI file image)

Kwatra will travel to Dhaka at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday.

He began a two-day trip to Nepal on Monday, reflecting India’s focus on relations with key neighbours.

While in Bangladesh, Kwatra will join Momen to review the entire range of bilateral relations, including political and security matters, water, trade and investment, power and energy, defence, connectivity and sub-regional cooperation, the external affairs ministry said.

“The visit to Bangladesh is keeping in line with the highest priority accorded to India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy,” the ministry said.

Bangladesh is India’s top-most development partner and also its largest trade partner in the region.

Kwatra’s visit will “further strengthen bilateral ties and impart momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas”, the ministry said.

In recent years, India and Bangladesh have revived several cross-border rail links, started cross-border bus services from West Bengal and the northeastern states, and taken steps to link their riverine waterways.

In the field of defence cooperation, the Bangladesh side has begun procuring military gear under a $500-million line of credit.