Bangladesh PM to visit India in early September

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to come to India in early September for a bilateral visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended an invitation to the leader of the neighbouring nation.

A Bangladeshi PMO spokesperson said Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Vikram K Doraiswami delivered the official invitation letter to PM Hasina for a "substantive summit". Early in the week, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had indicated that PM Hasina was expected to visit New Delhi in September in line with the invitation with PM Modi.

The last time Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India was in 2019. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind visited Dhaka in 2021 during the country's birth centenary celebrations of its founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka tweeted on Thursday that High Commissioner Doraiswami called Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, H.E Sheikh Hasina today at Jatiyo Shangsad.

A letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was delivered extending warm greetings, thanking her for gifting mangoes, and inviting the Hon'ble Prime Minister to visit New Delhi soon.

He also congratulated Dhaka for completing the Padma Bridge scheduled to be opened to the public on Saturday. Bangladesh's longest bridge is entirely built with domestic funding. He said the new structure will enhance connectivity in the region by linking India and Bangladesh.

Her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said there will be a ministerial-level meeting between the two countries days before her visit.

He added that PM Hasina proposed joint initiatives to dredge the rivers shared between India and Bangladesh for mutual benefit. She also suggested that a water conservatory could be ensured through river dredging on a regular basis. The much-awaited Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting is expected to be held before PM Hasina's visit.

There are 54 major rivers shared by the two nations and most of them originated from India. The northeastern and northern regions of Bangladesh witnessed major floods this year and nearly 50 people died. Recent floods in Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh are also worrisome for both nations.

PM Hasina conveyed Bangladesh's willingness to work with India to overcome natural disasters like floods. High Commissioner Doraiswami told her India was ready to assist the flood victims in Bangladesh as well.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Momen had met with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar last week at the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting in Delhi. The duo co-chaired the 7th round of JCC.