Dhaka, May 10:
India has expressed interest in financing Bangladesh’s Teesta project, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Thursday, after his meeting with visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra in Dhaka.
“You know we have taken on a big project on Teesta. India wants to finance this project. It will have to be implemented in line with our needs. We want to see our needs fulfilled,” Foreign Minister Mahmud told reporters.
Regarding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi, Hasan said the premier will definitely visit India.
“Elections are underway in India. A new government will be formed and then the date will be finalised for the visit,” he said.
Asked whether the prime minister would go to India or China first, the foreign minister said Delhi is close to Bangladesh in terms of geographical distance.
Diplomatic sources told the Dhaka Tribune that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India is planned for early July if not possible at the end of June, after the conclusion of India’s elections.
The Indian Foreign Secretary, who is on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh, called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and also held talks with Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud.
This is the first official visit to Bangladesh after formation of the new government of Sheikh Hasina in January 2024.
Foreign Secretary Kwatra also met his counterpart Masud Bin Momen.
“The visit to Bangladesh is keeping in line with the highest priority accorded to India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy. During the visit, Foreign Secretary reviewed the wide-ranging bilateral relationship including political and security, water, trade and investment, power and energy, defence, connectivity and sub-regional cooperation,” a MEA statement said.
“Bangladesh is India’s leading development partner and its largest trade partner in the region. Foreign Secretary’s visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties and impart momentum to the cooperation in diverse areas,” it said.
PM Modi had extended warm congratulations to PM Hasina on her electoral victory, expressing hopes for the continued strengthening of the historically close ties between India and Bangladesh.
The last bilateral engagement between the two Prime Ministers occurred during the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023 in New Delhi, where Bangladesh was a guest country.
Regarding border killings, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister said there is no lack of willingness at the government and political levels to end border killings.
“We have discussed the issue in detail. We have emphasised the use of non-lethal weapons,” Hasan said.
He said border forces have been instructed and they are using non-lethal weapons following the instructions.
However, the foreign minister said that non-lethal weapons work like lethal weapons when used in close proximity. “They have no lack of sincerity,” he said.
Hasan said they also discussed people-to-people connectivity.
He said they have discussed cooperation with India to import hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through India.
The two sides also discussed ways to further ease the visa process so that people can move freely, strengthening people-to-people relations.
