Bangladesh PM Hasina begins 4-day visit to India: What to expect

New Delhi, Sep 05: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here on Monday on a four-day trip to expand overall ties between the two countries. Hasina will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday following which the two sides are likely to unveil a raft of measures to boost cooperation in areas of defence, trade and river-water sharing.

The Bangladesh PM was received at the airport by Union minister Darshana Jardosh.

The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The Bangladeshi prime minister is also likely to travel to Ajmer in Rajasthan to visit the Dargah of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.

Hasina last visited New Delhi in October 2019.

Last month, India and Bangladesh finalised the text of the agreement on interim sharing of the water of the Kushiyara river. The MoU is set to be inked on Tuesday.

The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalised at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) that took place in Delhi on August 25. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven were identified earlier for developing a framework of water-sharing agreements on priority.

The overall strategic ties between India and Bangladesh have been on an upswing in the last few years.

In March last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Bangladesh to attend events organised to mark the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of the war of liberation of that country.

In reflection of close ties, India also hosted a number of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh.