Bangladesh and India are likely to sign four memorandum of understandings (MoUs) during the upcoming virtual meeting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi next month.
“It is likely as many as four MoUs are to be signed during the virtual meet…but the MoUs are yet to be finalised,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Monday, reports BSS.
The foreign minister said that after the virtual talks the two premiers may also inaugurate some projects those have already been completed under the Indian Line of Credit (LoC).
The summit meeting between prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries will take place in the third week of December, either on 16 or 17.
Dr Momen said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will visit New Delhi before the talks for finalising the agendas of the forthcoming meeting.
“We are thankful to India that their premier will talk to our honourable Prime Minister during our victory month as our victory is India’s victory as well,” he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Premier Modi held last bilateral talks in New Delhi on October 5 last year.
The Indian premier was scheduled to visit this year to join birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but the trip was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The foreign minister said Dhaka had invited Narendra Modi to visit here in person on March 26 to join the nation’s celebration of the 50 years of the independence.
“We’ve invited him (Narendra Modi) and they accepted the invitation in principle,” he said as Bangladesh and India will celebrate Bangladesh’s 50 years of independence together next year.
Earlier, newly-appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami assured that the virtual Hasina-Modi summit in December is not being seen as a substitute for in person visit by the Indian Prime Minister here.
On November 5, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Serum Institute of India and Beximco Pharma of Bangladesh for priority delivery of 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh.
The two countries also established air connectivity under ‘air bubble arrangement’ amid the pandemic.