B’desh foreign secy to discuss PM’S visit, ties

NEW DELHI Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen arrived in India on Thursday for a three-day visit, during which he will co-chair foreign office consultations and prepare the grounds for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Dhaka.

Ahead of his departure, Momen told reporters in Dhaka that the sharing of cross-border rivers, including the Teesta, a planned meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission and the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar would be on his agenda. The two sides are also expected to discuss a visit by home minister Amit Shah to Dhaka.

The foreign office consultations, to be held on Friday, will focus on all aspects of bilateral ties, including Covid-19 cooperation, trade, connectivity, border management and security and energy cooperation, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. Joint activities to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties and preparations for the prime minister’s visit will also be part of the talks, he said.

Momen said a number of agreements are likely to be signed after the consultations but didn’t give details.

Modi is scheduled visit to Dhaka on March 26 to participate in celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence and 50 years of diplomatic relations.

“We will discuss all the bilateral issues we have on our plate right now…we will also follow up the joint declaration made after the Pm-level virtual summit last month,” Momen told reporters on Wednesday.