PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina addressed a virtual summit.
New Delhi:
India is our true friend, “the country’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, thanked India for its support during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. Ms. Hasina was on her way to a virtual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after the 50th anniversary of India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War that led to the birth of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
“India is our true friend,” Hasina said. “I pay tribute to the three million martyrs who gave their lives. I pay tribute to the members of the Indian armed forces martyred in the war and their families. I pay my gratitude to the government and people of India who extended their heartfelt support to the cause of our nation, “he said.
Prime Minister Modi said that Bangladesh is a “key pillar” of India’s “Neighborhood First” policy.
“We are proud to celebrate ‘Bijoy Dibosh’ with you to mark Bangladesh’s victory over the anti-liberation forces,” said Prime Minister Modi.
He also thanked his Bangladeshi counterpart for inviting him to visit the neighboring nation next year, where he said “it would be an honor” to pay tribute “to the martyrs.”
“It has been a key priority for me to strengthen ties with Bangladesh,” he said.
After facing defeat in the 1971 war, then-Pakistan Army Chief General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with his 93,000 soldiers, surrendered to the Indian forces.
At the virtual summit, India and Bangladesh also sealed seven agreements to expand cooperation in various areas and restored a cross-border rail link that was in operation until 1965. Prime Minister Modi and Ms Hasina jointly opened a digital exhibition on Mahatama Gandhi and the founder of Bangladesh. .
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh paid rich tributes to the war heroes of 1971. Prime Minister Modi lit a “Swarnim Vijay Mashaal”, a torch of victory, in the eternal flame from the National War Memorial in Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
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