Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit India from September 5 to 8, with a focus on strengthening the “multifaceted” bilateral ties. The two sides are expected to ink an agreement on interim sharing of water of the Kushiyara river during Hasina’s visit. The Bangladeshi prime minister is also likely to travel to Ajmer in Rajasthan to visit the Dargah of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. Announcing Hasina’s visit, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said she will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.
Hasina last visited New Delhi in October 2019. “In the recent years, both sides have sustained high level of engagement, including at the highest level,” Bagchi said. “The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding,” he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on Hasina. Last month, India and Bangladesh finalised the text of the agreement on interim sharing of the water of the Kushiyara river. The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalised at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) that took place in Delhi on August 25.
The two countries share 54 rivers, of which seven were identified earlier for developing a framework of water-sharing agreements on priority. The Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common rivers.
The overall strategic ties between India and Bangladesh have been on an upswing in the last few years. In March last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Bangladesh to attend events organised to mark the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of the war of liberation of that country.
In reflection of close ties, India also hosted a number of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh. Around 93,000 Pakistani troops had surrendered before the joint forces of the Indian Army and the “Mukti Bahini” on December 16, 1971, that paved way for the birth of Bangladesh.
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