Bangladesh will discuss the issue of fuel procurement with India during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Delhi.
“We are not aiming at buying Russian oil from India. We want to buy Indian oil,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said it at a briefing in response to a question on Sunday.
If procured, this oil may be supplied to Bangladesh through Shiliguri-Parbatipur pipeline, he mentioned.
“We have no plans to buy other country’s oil through India at this moment,” Mr Shahriar said.
Both the countries have been engaged in energy cooperation for long, said Alam.
“We have been importing power from India and an Indian business group is constructing a coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh which is nearing completion.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to leave for Delhi Sunday morning on a three-day visit.
The seven MoUs, readied for signing during the PM’s Delhi visit are:
- Withdrawal of 153 cusec water from Kushiyara River by Bangladesh at Rahimpur
- Scientific cooperation between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR)
- Between National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, India and Supreme Court of Bangladesh
- Between Ministry of Railways, India and Bangladesh Railway for training of personnel of Bangladesh Railway in the training institutes of Indian Railway
- Between Ministry of Railways, India and Bangladesh Railway for collaboration for IT solutions for Bangladesh Railway
- Between Prasar Bharati and Bangladesh television
- Cooperation in the areas of space technology.
Among these, the MoU on Kushiyara River is yet to get approval of the Indian Prime Minister’s Office till Sunday, officials said.
