B'desh PM Sheikh Hasina Arrives in India to hold bilateral meeting

New Delhi: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on a bilateral four-day visit on Thursday. According to the media sources Bangladeh's PM will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 5.

This is Hasina's first visit to India since the completion of the elections in Bangladesh and India, a press statement from the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said.

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As part of her first official engagement, Hasina will participate as the chief guest in the India Economic Summit which is being organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF). External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on Hasina during her visit.

On Saturday, the Bangladeshi prime minister will hold talks with her Indian counterpart following which the two sides will sign agreements. The two prime ministers will also jointly inaugurate three bilateral projects via video link, media sources said.

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The two countries are likely to sign a number of MoUs in different areas, including connectivity, culture, technical cooperation and trade and investment, about seven to eight MoUs are confirmed to be singed, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali said.

India and Bangladesh are also expected to review the Rohingya and Teesta issues, apart from inking various agreements.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who met Hasina on Thursday, said the two discussed a range of issues including a direct flight between Agartala and Dhaka. Icluding in his statement Deb said, India and Bangladesh are likely to sign an MoU for a new waterway to connect Gomati river in Tripura and Meghna river in Bangladesh.

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The waterway would facilitate carriage of goods from Ashuganj port on Meghna river in Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh to Sonamura in Sipahijala district of Tripura, Deb added.

At an interactive session of the World Economic Forum, Hasina said, "It is time for global investors, particularly Indian entrepreneurs, to invest in Bangladesh in areas like education, engineering, and artificial intelligence."

Hasina on Thursday urged Indian investors to step up investment in Bangladesh and said her country "knows how to transform challenges into opportunities".

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Bangladesh High Commissioner to India said that Hasina will also likely highlight the country's progress from a least developed country (LDC) to a middle-income one and seek more investments.

Apart from addressing the Indian Economic Forum, Hasina will interact with three Indian Chamber of Commerce leaders during a joint meeting on Friday.

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