Dhaka and New Delhi have signed seven memoranda of understanding, or MoUs, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India.
The agreements to boost cooperation were signed after Hasina sat for talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.
The MoUs cover a wide range of topics. The first allows Bangladesh to withdraw 153 cusecs of water from the Kushiyara River at Rahimpur.
The second promises scientific cooperation between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India and the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The third is between the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, India and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
The fourth and fifth are between the Ministry of Railways, India and Bangladesh Railway on training for Bangladesh personnel and IT solutions.
The sixth is between Prasar Bharti and Bangladesh Television, the two state-run broadcasters of the neighbouring countries.
The seventh and final promises cooperation on space technology.
Following the meeting, Modi said: “We have extended our cooperation on flood mitigation.”
“We have been sharing real-time data regarding floods with Bangladesh and have also discussed terrorism. It’s imperative that we together face the forces that are adversarial to us.”
Hasina received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday morning, Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) reports.
Modi welcomed his Bangladeshi counterpart with a handshake. Afterwards, the two went to Hyderabad House for a sit-down discussion.
Hasina is also scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar on Tuesday.
Hasina is on a four-day official visit to India for the first time in three years.
The premiers of the neighbouring countries have met 12 times since 2015. Modi last travelled to Bangladesh in 2021 to attend events organised to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence.
