On the day two of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in Bangladesh, post his visit to Matua, the PM held a high delegation with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Various high level matters on Indo-Bangladesh ties were discussed. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla sharing highlights of the meeting said, PM Modi and PM Hasina inaugurated Bangladesh leg of Bangbondhu-Bapu digital exhibition. This exhibition showcases perhaps only photo of Bangabandhu & Bapu. We plan to take this exhibition to many countries and it was discussed in last meeting of both PMs.
Hasina Shaikh lauded India’s neighbourhood first policy, he added. The PMs to mark India's formal recognization day of Bangladesh will celebrate 'Maitri Diwas' on December 6.
"We have held restricted format discussions & delegation-level talks, this allowed the two PMs to take stock of progress in various areas. This included some discussion on how we can preserve the legacy of 1971," Harsh Vardhan. To sustain the legacy, a decision has also been taken to celebrate our ties jointly in 19 countries that have been identified by the two sides (India and Bangladesh).
Both the PMs laid foundation of a war memorial and Narendra Modi thanked PM Sheikh Hasina for erecting a war memorial in Bangladesh in recognition of contribution of Indian soldiers who were martyred during the liberation war of Bangladesh.
"A significant part of our third line of credit will go to civil nuclear cooperation. Transmission lines of Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant will be developed by Indian companies under the line of credit. Value of these transmission lines will be worth over $1 billion," said the foreign secretary.
While both the countries have also shown interest in expanding cooperation in the space sector.
The two sides signed five Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) covering areas such as connectivity, commerce, information technology and sports.
In a humanitarian gesture, Prime Minister Modi handed over a representational key of 109 ambulances to his counterpart Hasina. He also handed over a representational box to her as a symbol of India's gift of 1.2 million COVID vaccine doses to Bangladesh.
Hasina presented a gold and a silver coin released on the occasion of the birth centenary of her father and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Modi. She also handed over a silver coin released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's Independence.
The two leaders also jointly opened some projects virtually. Modi's visit is taking place at a time Bangladesh is commemorating Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of the country's war of liberation. The two countries are also celebrating 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
On Friday, Modi attended the celebrations of the golden jubilee of the country's independence, the birth centenary of 'Bangabandhu' in Dhaka.
The two prime ministers held a virtual summit on December 17 during which Modi said Bangladesh is a key pillar of New Delhi's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, while Hasina described India as a "true friend" and asserted that both countries could play a significant role in the global and regional value chains by further integrating their economies as well as boosting connectivity.
