Menon arrives in Bangladesh on four-day-long visit

Dhaka, June 24 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon arrived here today on a four-day-long visit, intent on finding ways to take the India-Bangladesh bilateral relations onto an 'irreversible higher trajectory'.

''India and Bangladesh have a shared destiny. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Dhaka on February 19, 2007 that we must move our bilateral relations to an 'irreversible higher trajectory'. I look forward to finding ways to do so with friends in Bangladesh in the next few days,'' he said in his arrival statement at Zia International Airport.

Mr Menon, whose flight was delayed by over 90 minutes, was received at the airport by his Bangladeshi counterpart, acting Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain.

The Foreign Secretary is leading a four-member delegation to foreign office-level talks, set for tomorrow and Tuesday, on the entire gamut of relations between the two next-door neighbours. He is also expected to meet leaders of the present caretaker government of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Liakat Ali Chowdhury and Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty were also present at the airport.

Mr Menon while reading out his statement to the waiting reporters at the VIP lounge, said, ''As a friend and a close neighbour, India is deeply interested in Bangladesh's peaceful, democratic and stable development. India wishes Bangladesh continued economic progress and prosperity.'' He said the purpose of his tour is to hold substantive discussions on bilateral issues between the two countries and to see ''how to take our relations forward, to the mutual benefit.'' Mr Menon said during his Foreign Office Consultations on June 25-26, they intend to explore how bilateral cooperation could be further strengthened. They will also discuss other matters of mutual interest.

''During my visit, I hope to pay courtesy call on the leaders of Bangladesh,'' he said, adding, ''I will be holding talks with Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain and will also be meeting a cross-section of friends.'' Having read out the statement, Mr Menon did not take any question from the reporters.

UNI