External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will visit Bangladesh on March 4, the Ministry said on Wednesday. The visit is expected to pave the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the independence day celebrations in Dhaka on March 26.
“The visit follows on the PM-level Virtual Summit held on December 17 and will also provide an opportunity to take stock of the progress in bilateral relations,” the MEA said.
Mr. Jaishankar will meet his counterpart AK Abdul Momen and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Dhaka as the country celebrates 50th year of independence from Pakistani rule. Bangladesh has already started the events which are part of the official celebrations. On March 7, the landmark speech of Sheikh Mujib which called for independence of East Pakistan on the same day in 1971, will be celebrated with official events.
India has been building the ground for Prime Minister Modi’s visit through “vaccine diplomacy” which has intensified in recent months. Bangladesh was one of the first countries to receive Covishield as a ‘gift’ from New Delhi. Regular commercial supply from the Serum Institute of India has also continued which has provided the Sheikh Hasina government the vaccines for administering to the target groups.
High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswamy last month had acknowledged ‘complexities’ in the Teesta waters negotiation and had urged Bangladesh to come forward to discuss sharing of other common rivers. Water sharing is expected to be on the agenda for Prime Minister Modi.