Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said that purchasing surplus fuel from India will be discussed tomorrow (September 6, 2022).
He also hoped that pre-signing procedures of seven MoUs will be completed by tonight and will be handed over during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi tomorrow.
He was speaking to reporters after Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The foreign secretary said water sharing issues, including of Teesta and Ganges rivers, may come up during tomorrow’s meeting.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh and India are likely to sign seven bilateral documents on water management, railway, science and technology, and information and broadcasting during Hasina’s India visit.
Jaishankar, earlier today, met PM Hasina at her place of residence (ITC Maurya).
“The warmth and frequency of our leadership level contacts is a testimony to our close neighborly partnership,” he tweeted after the meeting.
The foreign secretary said Dhaka wants more predictability on “strategic commodities” that Bangladesh needs.
He said the issue will be discussed tomorrow so that India informs Bangladesh before taking any decision (regarding export of essentials).
Also read: PM Hasina gets red carpet welcome in New Delhi
The foreign secretary said Jaishankar and PM Hasina discussed the Russia-Ukraine war that has created tremendous pressure on the world economy.
They discussed the enhancement of collaboration further to face the crisis jointly, he added.
Talking about purchasing Russian fuel, he said it is not true that Bangladesh cannot purchase oil from Russia but they are assessing the technical specifications to that end.
The foreign secretary said they are also looking into the medium for such transaction.
“We can get India’s surplus fuel, under favorable terms. We will, of course, consider that,” Masud Bin Momen said.
He said both Bangladesh and India placed their proposals to enhance the connectivity between the two countries.
Bangladesh said priority should be given to those projects that will ensure interests of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal.
Talking about the grid connectivity, the foreign secretary said that there are issues of bringing electricity from Nepal and Bhutan while there is also the issue of taking electricity from one part of India to another.
Both the Prime Minister and the Indian External Affairs Minister expressed their hopes on this issue, he said.
Myanmar and Rohingya issues also came up for discussion as the Prime Minister talked about it.
She said there are some incidents in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and there is apprehension that these incidents might impact the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.
Jaishankar said that they are also witnessing some turmoil there and that is not good for anyone.
PM Hasina’s visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries, said India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
A red carpet was rolled out as the Bangladesh premier arrived in Delhi on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
On arrival at Palam Airport at 11:40am local time (BD time 12:10pm) the PM was received by State Minister for Railways and Textiles of India Darshana Vikram Jardosh and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran.
A group of women, clad in colourful saris, danced and played music to greet the Bangladesh leader at the airport.
From the airport, Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade reached ITC Maurya, where she will be staying during the visit. The streets along the route were decked with national flags of Bangladesh and India. Portraits of Hasina and Modi were also installed along the way.
The visit is seen as significant amid the Ukraine crisis, global economic downturn and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the two South Asian neighbours seek enhanced cooperation to overcome the challenges.
Source: United News of Bangladesh