Indian prime minister Narendra Modi arrives in Dhaka this morning on a two-day state visit which is expected to pave the way for transit facilities to his country, what the two governments have called connectivity.
About 20 agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding between the two countries and some private and autonomous organisations are expected to be signed this evening at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The instruments of ratification of land boundary agreements and protocols are also expected to be exchanged.
But the much expected agreement on sharing of waters of the river Teesta will be left on the back burner once again.
Modi is scheduled to arrive at 10:15am today in a special Indian Air Force flight. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will receive him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
He will stay at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.
India is likely to announce a new line-of-suppliers-credit worth $2 billion for implementing projects in Bangladesh subject to clearance from the lending side.
‘Connectivity will be the main theme of the visit to build South Asia as an integrated region,’ foreign minister minister AH Mahmood Ali said at a press briefing on the eve of the visit on Friday.
The government was working on establishing intra-region connectivity for expanding trade and commerce and sharing of resources and services among the countries, Ali said.
Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said key factors of the visit ‘are connectivity’ and concluding the land boundary agreement.
‘Every aspect of movements of goods and people will be addressed during this visit,’ he said at press briefing in New Delhi on Friday.
Modi will be here for about 35 hours on an invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina. The two prime ministers will hold a one-on-one meeting for20 minutes before delegation level talks and witness the signing of the agreements, protocols and MoUs.
An agreement for ‘the regulation of motor vehicle passenger traffic’ between the two countries and a protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka will be signed.
Another protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Dhaka-Guwahati-Shillong will also be signed.
The two sides will sign a ‘coastal shipping agreement’ allowing transport of goods by river and sea cargo vessels through the Bay between the two countries.
A protocol on ‘inland water transit and trade’ between Bangladesh and India incorporating a provision that ‘third countries’ like Nepal and Bhutan could be included in the communication system for transshipment of goods, will also be signed today.
Asked by New Age if India would require paying any charges for operating through Bangladesh road, railway, rivers and coastal areas, the foreign minister said the main agreements and the protocols ‘are policy decisions’ from both the countries.
‘Imposition of any charges will be settled in details later through mutual discussions,’ he said.
An agreement between the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Bureau of Indian Standards on cooperation in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment will be inked.
The two sides are scheduled to sign an agreement on bilateral trade agreement and MoUs to contain human trafficking and stop spread of fake currency notes and increase cooperation between coast guards of the two countries.
Asked about the $2 billion new line-of-credit, the foreign minister said, ‘It is under process and an announcement will be there once it is decided.’
On the question of Teesta, the minister said the issue was being discussed behind the scenes.
‘Diplomacy does not take place publicly rather it always happens behind the scenes,’ he said.
He urged all to have patience for a concrete outcome on Teesta.
Expressing his confidence about the outcome of the visit, Modi hoped, in a tweet and in his facebook page, the visit would be beneficial for the people of both the nations and in the larger good of the region.
S Jaishankar said line-of-credit would be for rail, roads power, ports, health, education and other sectors.
He said the two sides would also discuss ‘stability and security’ along the border, exchange of enclaves, economic cooperation, including special economic zone to anchor Indian investment, which would help reduce trade imbalance between the two countries.
Jaishankar evaded a question on discussion on signing an agreement on sharing the Teesta waters.
In the official talks, Modi will lead a 12-member official delegation that includes, among others, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, national security adviser Ajit Doval, foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Indian high commissioner to Dhaka Pankaj Saran.
Mamata Banerjee arrived in Dhaka on Friday night.
Modi will join programmes to unveil the plaques for various ‘grant-in-aid’ projects in different fields, including railway, road and cultural projects. Along with Hasina, he will flag off bus services on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati routes.
Modi will visit National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar today to pay tributes to martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War and Bangabandhu National Museum to pay tributes to Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Modi will hold a meeting with Mamata Banerjee at Sonargaon hotel.
Sheikh Hasina will host a banquet at the hotel in the evening.
On Sunday, Modi will visit Dhakeshwari Temple and Ramakrishna Mission in the capital. He will attend several programmes at the new chancery complex of the Indian High Commission at Baridhara.
He will call on the president Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban.
He will receive the Award of Liberation War Honour on behalf of Atal Behari Vajpayee for the latter’s role during the war as well as for playing a role in developing strong ties with Bangladesh as foreign minister and prime minister of India.
Raushan Ershad, opposition leader in parliament, will call on Modi at the hotel. Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia is also expected to call on Modi there.
Modi will deliver a speech for public at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre at 6:30pm Sunday.
Modi will leave Dhaka for New Delhi by a special flight at about 8:20pm Sunday.
About 20 agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding between the two countries and some private and autonomous organisations are expected to be signed this evening at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The instruments of ratification of land boundary agreements and protocols are also expected to be exchanged.
But the much expected agreement on sharing of waters of the river Teesta will be left on the back burner once again.
Modi is scheduled to arrive at 10:15am today in a special Indian Air Force flight. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will receive him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
He will stay at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.
India is likely to announce a new line-of-suppliers-credit worth $2 billion for implementing projects in Bangladesh subject to clearance from the lending side.
‘Connectivity will be the main theme of the visit to build South Asia as an integrated region,’ foreign minister minister AH Mahmood Ali said at a press briefing on the eve of the visit on Friday.
The government was working on establishing intra-region connectivity for expanding trade and commerce and sharing of resources and services among the countries, Ali said.
Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said key factors of the visit ‘are connectivity’ and concluding the land boundary agreement.
‘Every aspect of movements of goods and people will be addressed during this visit,’ he said at press briefing in New Delhi on Friday.
Modi will be here for about 35 hours on an invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina. The two prime ministers will hold a one-on-one meeting for20 minutes before delegation level talks and witness the signing of the agreements, protocols and MoUs.
An agreement for ‘the regulation of motor vehicle passenger traffic’ between the two countries and a protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka will be signed.
Another protocol on operation of passenger bus service between Dhaka-Guwahati-Shillong will also be signed.
The two sides will sign a ‘coastal shipping agreement’ allowing transport of goods by river and sea cargo vessels through the Bay between the two countries.
A protocol on ‘inland water transit and trade’ between Bangladesh and India incorporating a provision that ‘third countries’ like Nepal and Bhutan could be included in the communication system for transshipment of goods, will also be signed today.
Asked by New Age if India would require paying any charges for operating through Bangladesh road, railway, rivers and coastal areas, the foreign minister said the main agreements and the protocols ‘are policy decisions’ from both the countries.
‘Imposition of any charges will be settled in details later through mutual discussions,’ he said.
An agreement between the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Bureau of Indian Standards on cooperation in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment will be inked.
The two sides are scheduled to sign an agreement on bilateral trade agreement and MoUs to contain human trafficking and stop spread of fake currency notes and increase cooperation between coast guards of the two countries.
Asked about the $2 billion new line-of-credit, the foreign minister said, ‘It is under process and an announcement will be there once it is decided.’
On the question of Teesta, the minister said the issue was being discussed behind the scenes.
‘Diplomacy does not take place publicly rather it always happens behind the scenes,’ he said.
He urged all to have patience for a concrete outcome on Teesta.
Expressing his confidence about the outcome of the visit, Modi hoped, in a tweet and in his facebook page, the visit would be beneficial for the people of both the nations and in the larger good of the region.
S Jaishankar said line-of-credit would be for rail, roads power, ports, health, education and other sectors.
He said the two sides would also discuss ‘stability and security’ along the border, exchange of enclaves, economic cooperation, including special economic zone to anchor Indian investment, which would help reduce trade imbalance between the two countries.
Jaishankar evaded a question on discussion on signing an agreement on sharing the Teesta waters.
In the official talks, Modi will lead a 12-member official delegation that includes, among others, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, national security adviser Ajit Doval, foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Indian high commissioner to Dhaka Pankaj Saran.
Mamata Banerjee arrived in Dhaka on Friday night.
Modi will join programmes to unveil the plaques for various ‘grant-in-aid’ projects in different fields, including railway, road and cultural projects. Along with Hasina, he will flag off bus services on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati routes.
Modi will visit National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar today to pay tributes to martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War and Bangabandhu National Museum to pay tributes to Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Modi will hold a meeting with Mamata Banerjee at Sonargaon hotel.
Sheikh Hasina will host a banquet at the hotel in the evening.
On Sunday, Modi will visit Dhakeshwari Temple and Ramakrishna Mission in the capital. He will attend several programmes at the new chancery complex of the Indian High Commission at Baridhara.
He will call on the president Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban.
He will receive the Award of Liberation War Honour on behalf of Atal Behari Vajpayee for the latter’s role during the war as well as for playing a role in developing strong ties with Bangladesh as foreign minister and prime minister of India.
Raushan Ershad, opposition leader in parliament, will call on Modi at the hotel. Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia is also expected to call on Modi there.
Modi will deliver a speech for public at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre at 6:30pm Sunday.
Modi will leave Dhaka for New Delhi by a special flight at about 8:20pm Sunday.
Source: New Age
