• Source:JND
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived on a four-day visit to India on Monday. This is her first visit after both nations' bilateral relations touched their 50th year in 2021.

During her visit, the Bangladesh Prime Minister will meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. She will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following talks between Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the two sides are expected to sign several agreements, including one on interim sharing of the Kushiyara river's water.

Last month, India and Bangladesh finalised the text of their agreement on the interim sharing of the Kushiyara river's water. 

The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalised at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) held in Delhi on August 25. The commission was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of common interest on common rivers.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, seven of which were previously identified for developing a framework of priority water-sharing agreements.

Overall strategic ties between India and Bangladesh have improved in recent years. The two sides will announce measures to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defence, trade, river water sharing, and others.

Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina will also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during her visit to New Delhi.

The external affairs ministry said on Thursday that "the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding."

Hasina is scheduled to visit the Dargah of the revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan, on Thursday.

Hasina's delegation members include Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, Liberation War Minister A K M Mozammel Haq, and Mashiur AKM Rahman, the PM's economic affairs advisor.

Bangladesh is an important partner under India's "Neighborhood First" policy. Security, trade and commerce, power and energy, transportation and connectivity, science and technology, defence, rivers, and maritime affairs are just a few of the areas where cooperation is taking place.

Bangladesh is now India's most important South Asian trading partner. In the last five years, bilateral trade has increased from USD 9 billion to USD 18 billion.

Bangladesh's economy has risen from USD 9.69 billion in FY 2020–21 to USD 16.15 billion in FY 2021–22, becoming India's fourth largest export destination.

Despite the COVID pandemic, both countries made progress on critical connectivity initiatives.

Bangladesh is India's largest development partner, receiving nearly one-fourth of the Government of India's (GoI) commitment under the GoI Line of Credit (LoC). Total contracts have surpassed USD 2 billion, and total disbursements have surpassed USD 1 billion.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence and the 100th birthday of the country's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. PM Modi visited Bangladesh in 2021. Maitri Diwas celebrations took place in 20 capitals worldwide, including Delhi and Dhaka. 

Since 2015, the Prime Ministers of both countries have met 12 times.

Hasina last visited New Delhi in October 2019.

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