Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday said New Delhi gives its highest priority to its relations with Dhaka and wants to carry forward the ties to a ‘new height’.The Indian envoy came up with the remark when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office here in the morning.
Shringla also referred to a recent meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam in New Delhi.
“India will provide all-out support to Sheikh Hasina’s government,” the Indian envoy quoted Sushma Swaraj as saying.
After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought the support of neighbours to achieve her government’s goal of establishing a poverty-free prosperous Bangladesh.
Talking about the power and energy sector development, Sheikh Hasina put emphasis on expanding the regional cooperation between Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan in the field.
Noting that her government has made the seaports free for using by neighbours, Hasina said Syedpur Airport could be used as a regional airport for further development.
Pointing to the Bangladesh-Bhutan, India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement, the Prime Minister said she has taken this initiative for boosting connectivity among the four nations.
In this connection, Sheikh Hasina reiterated that Bangladesh wants to revive the rail routes that were closed after the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
At the beginning of the meeting, Hasina welcomed the Indian envoy and assured him of extending all-out support to him during his stay in Bangladesh.
She also recalled with deep gratitude India’s contributions during the great War of Liberation in 1971.
Hasina also expressed her gratitude to the Indian political leaders and parliament members for their overwhelming support to unanimously pass the historic LBA Bill in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Indian High Commissioner highly appreciated Bangladesh’s stunning development in the socioeconomic field under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the last seven years.
In this connection, Shringla particularly mentioned the over 6.50 percent GDP growth rate by Bangladesh over the last seven years. “It’s “extraordinary” and it’s a country on the move,” she said.
About the present government’s ‘Vision 2021’ and ‘Vision 2041’, the Indian envoy said those are achievable.
Underlining the need for setting up more checkposts along India-Bangladesh border, Shringla said the movement of the people of both countries will get easier for it.
Mentioning that there is a scope for more investment in Bangladesh, he said Indian companies are interested to make further investment in Bangladesh.
About the BBIN Motor Vehicle Deal, he said the four nations had a fruitful meeting in New Delhi recently.
Referring to India’s initiative for launching ‘Saarc Satellite’, the Indian envoy said Bangladesh could join the initiative.
Shringla said initiatives have been taken to translate ‘Bangabandhu’s Unfinished Memoirs’ into Hindi and other Indian languages.
PM’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi and PM’s Principal Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad were present at the meeting.
