India, Bangladesh ink pact to boost ties in maritime sphere, blue economy

New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) India and Bangladesh on Saturday firmed up a futuristic vision to expand cooperation in several new areas and inked a raft of agreements, including to boost ties in the maritime sphere and blue economy.

The pacts were finalised at the wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

The key pacts signed by the two sides included one on forging strong ties in the digital domain and another on having a “green partnership.

The two sides also inked an agreement on railway connectivity.

“Today we have prepared a futuristic vision for cooperation in new areas. The youth of both the countries will benefit from the consensus reached on cooperation in areas such as green partnership, digital partnership, blue economy and space,” Modi said in his statement to the media.

In her remarks, Hasina described India as Bangladesh’s major neighbour and a trusted friend.

“India is our major neighbour, trusted friend and regional partner. Bangladesh greatly values our relations with India, which were born out of the War of Liberation in 1971,” she said.

“I recall with gratitude the contribution of the government and the people of India to Bangladesh’s independence,” she said.

Hasina also paid homage to the “brave fallen heroes of India” who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 war.

“Today, we had very productive meetings where we discussed cooperation in areas of security, trade, connectivity, sharing of water from common rivers, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation,” she said.

“We agreed to collaborate with each other for the betterment of our people and countries,” she added.

The Bangladesh prime minister began her two-day visit to India on Friday.

It is the first incoming bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the formation of the new government in India following the Lok Sabha elections.

In the morning, Hasina visited Rajghat and paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Ahead of the talks, the visiting leader was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Officials said the focus of the Modi-Hasina talks would be to impart a new momentum to the bilateral ties, including in areas of trade, connectivity and energy.

Hasina was among the seven top leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union council of ministers on June 9.