Bangladesh is expected to be among the first foreign destinations visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Covid-19 outbreak, as he is expected to take part in the celebrations marking 50 years of the country’s independence next March.
The Indian Prime Minister accepted the invitation of the Bangladeshi government to participate in the celebrations to be held in Dhaka on March 26. The visit will be preceded by a virtual summit between Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, in mid-December.
“We invite the Indian Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh on March 26 next year. It was accepted, ”Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters in Dhaka on Sunday.
“We would love to see Prime Minister Modi join in the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of our independence. Our victory also means victory for India, ”he added.
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Momen said the two prime ministers were expected to hold a virtual summit next month. India had proposed December 16 as the date for the meeting, although people familiar with the events said that, on condition of anonymity, it could be held later as Bangladeshi leaders would be concerned about the Victory Day celebrations on that day.
There was no official news from the Indian side about the summit or Modi’s visit to Bangladesh, although the people quoted above said both events were on the agenda.
Modi made his last visit abroad to Brazil in November 2019 to attend a summit of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping. Travel abroad by Indian leaders has been severely restricted due to restrictions related to Covid-19.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has traveled only to Iran and Russia, where he attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in September and to Japan this month for a meeting of the Dialogue of Quadrilateral to Quad Safety.
A planned visit by Modi to Bangladesh in March this year, when he was to participate in events marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was postponed after Dhaka postponed the celebrations due to the pandemic.
India has taken several steps in recent months to strengthen its ties with Bangladesh after they were hit by various irritants, such as the controversy over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, last year. Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla visited Bangladesh in August and delivered a personal message from Modi to Hasina.
Momen, who spoke to the media after meeting with India’s new envoy Vikram Doraiswami, said an air bubble between the two sides would soon begin. However, he said that Dhaka wants New Delhi to ease restrictions on road and rail travel, as these modes were preferred by travelers from Bangladesh.
Doraiswami’s destination in Dhaka is one of the steps taken by New Delhi to strengthen bilateral relations, as he is considered a veteran of Bangladesh.
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