Foreign Secretary Kwatra meets Bangladesh PM Hasina, reviews bilateral ties with top officials

Dhaka, May 9 (PTI) Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other top leaders here and reviewed New Delhi’s strong bilateral relationship with Dhaka, including in areas such as security, water, trade and investment, power and energy, defence, connectivity and sub-regional cooperation.

In the first official visit of a high-level official to Bangladesh after the formation of the new government in January 2024 here, Kwatra also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and his counterpart Masud Bin Momen.

“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 cooperation in diverse areas. 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,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Sources in Dhaka said, Kwatra, who arrived here late on Wednesday evening keeping in line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, invited the prime minister to visit New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first world leader to congratulate her on her re-election.

A statement from Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry did not elaborate on Kwatra’s talks with Hasina but said the two foreign secretaries’ discussions “focused on bilateral issues, regional cooperation and avenues for future collaboration.”

“Kwatra and Momen expressed optimism about the prospects for furthering bilateral cooperation to address shared challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities,” it said.

According to the Bangladesh foreign office, the two top officials also discussed, among other issues, cooperation in the areas of green energy, digital economy and space technology.

“Foreign Secretary Masud particularly emphasised on power sector cooperation, connectivity, enhancing Bangladesh’s export to India, cooperation in regional and international platforms and support for Rohingya repatriation,” the statement added.

The two sides also discussed water-sharing issues of the common rivers, including that of the Teesta River, and the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in 1996.