Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first foreign visit since the Covid-19 outbreak last year to Bangladesh during March 26-27, highlighting the priority attached by India to the country in its “Neighbourhood First” policy.
Modi, who is visiting at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, will participate in the commemoration of what the external affairs ministry described as “three epochal events” – Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Bnagladesh’s father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 50 years of diplomatic ties, and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation.
The prime minister last visited Bangladesh in 2015 though Modi and Hasina have interacted virtually several times during the pandemic.
During the visit, Modi will attend the national day programme of Bangladesh on March 26 as the guest of honour.
Besides holding bilateral consultations with Hasina, Modi will also hold talks with President Mohammad Abdul Hamid and foreign minister AK Abdul Momen.
“The visit of the prime minister to Bangladesh will be the first visit to a foreign country since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. This highlights the priority India attaches to Bangladesh,” the external affairs ministry said.
The two countries have launched several initiatives amid the pandemic to boost connectivity, including a new cross-border bridge over Feni river that was opened earlier this month to make Agartala, the capital of the northeastern state of Tripura, the Indian city closest to an international sea port.
{{/usCountry}}The two countries have launched several initiatives amid the pandemic to boost connectivity, including a new cross-border bridge over Feni river that was opened earlier this month to make Agartala, the capital of the northeastern state of Tripura, the Indian city closest to an international sea port.
{{/usCountry}}Bangladesh is the largest recipient of Indian-made Covid-19 vaccines, having received nine million doses so far, including two million doses provided as a grant in January.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar travelled to Dhaka on March 4 to prepare the grounds for Modi’s visit. Jaishankar held talks with Momen and met Hasina, and the two foreign ministers reviewed the overall relationship and India-backed development projects.
Connectivity initiatives between the two sides continued despite the pandemic. The two countries conducted the trial run of container cargo through Chattogram port to Agartala, added two new routes to link Tripura to Bangladesh’s waterways, and India provided 10 railway locomotives and began the movement of container and parcel trains last year.