Dhaka, Mar 4 (UNI) Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Thursday to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh's independence.

A special flight carrying Dr Jaishankar reached the Bangabandhu airbase in Dhaka at 1000 hours.

On arrival, Dr Jaishankar was greeted by his counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

The two ministers will hold a bilateral meeting at the state guest house Padma. Dr Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the afternoon.

He will later attend a function at Bharat Bhavan at 1700 hours and leave Dhaka afterwards.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam told the media on Wednesday that the two sides will discuss ways to take their partnership, especially in connectivity, forward beside the celebration.

India has recently allowed Bangladesh's transports to travel to Bhutan and Nepal directly. 'It's a big achievement for us,' Shahriar said.

India and Bangladesh will also discuss cooperation to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues.

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