Bangladesh and India are likely to sign four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) during the visit of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today (Friday).
The MoUs would be on starting negotiation for removing trade barriers, cooperation in disaster management, cooperation in oceanography, and cooperation in the IT sector, officials involved in the process told the FE.
The number might increase, as signing of two other MoUs was also being discussed, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Dhaka is all set to receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is coming here to attend the golden jubilee celebration of the independence of Bangladesh and birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive Mr Modi at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital at 11.00 am.
On the first day of his visit, the Indian prime minister will pay homage to the National Martyrs Memorial in Savar.
He will be the chief guest in the celebration programmes at the National Parade Ground in the afternoon.
On the second day, he will fly outside Dhaka by helicopter to visit two temples - one in Satkhira and one in Gopalganj.
His first stop will be the Jashoreshwari temple in Ishwaripur under Satkhira, a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali and one of the 'shaktipeeths' of the Hindu religion.
He will pay homage to the mausoleum of Bangabandhu in Tungipara under Gopalganj as the first Indian leader to do so. Then Mr Modi will visit Orakandi temple of Matua community. Orakandi is the birthplace of the Harichand Thakur who formed the Matua sect. Then he will return to Dhaka, and hold a bilateral meeting with the Bangladesh prime minister.
After the meeting, the two leaders are scheduled to announce the inauguration of several projects, including 'Swadhinata Sarak' - connecting Mujibnagar to Nadia of India, Dhaka-Jalpaiguri passenger train, a monument in Ashuganj in memory of the Indian soldiers - martyred during the liberation war, and power evacuation project in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
In the evening he will go to the Bangabhaban to meet President Abdul Hamid before his departure for Delhi.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen on Thursday said the people of Bangladesh would welcome the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The opposition to the visit by a few will have no negative impact on it," the minister noted.
Meanwhile, ahead of his Bangladesh visit, Narendra Modi on Thursday said he looked forward to having 'substantive discussions' with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"I will be visiting Bangladesh on 26-27 March 2021, at the invitation of Her Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. I am happy that my first foreign visit after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to our friendly neighbouring country, with which India shares deep cultural, linguistic and people-to-people ties," the PM said in a statement on his website.
