Modi Visits Bangladesh Saturday: Looking Forward A Great Sense Of Enthusiasm
05 June, New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed confidence that his visit to Bangladesh will prove to be beneficial for the people of India and Bangladesh and in the larger good of the South Asian neighbourhood.
In a Facebook post ahead of his visit to Bangladesh tomorrow, Modi said, he is looking forward to the visit with a great sense of enthusiasm and delight. He said, Bangladesh is a nation with which India’s ties have been very strong.
The Prime Minister said, in Bangladesh he will attend several programmes, which include meeting with Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, who has played an important role in strong India-Bangladesh ties. He said, there will be delegation level talks and signing of agreements. Modi said, he will also join the programme to unveil the plaques for various Grant-in-Aid projects.
The Prime Minister said he will also pay tributes to martyrs of the 1971 liberation war at the National Martyrs’ Memorial. Modi said, he is eager to visit Bangabandhu National Museum and pay tributes to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a friend of India and a pillar of strength and democracy in the South Asian region.
Modi said, it will be his privilege to receive the Award of Liberation War Honour on behalf of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said, Vajpayee as a Foreign Minister and as a Prime Minister, placed great emphasis on strong ties with Bangladesh and had visited Bangladesh in 1999.
The Prime Minister Modi pointed out that few weeks ago, the Indian Parliament unanimously approved a Constitution amendment bill to give full effect to the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 with Bangladesh and the related 2011 Protocol.
Modi said, he must highlight the support of political parties as well as Chief Ministers of various states that led to the smooth passage of this amendment bill. He said, the ratification marks a watershed moment in India’s ties with Bangladesh.
Modi added that he would flag off bus services on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati routes, along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He said, it will promote greater people-to-people ties and connectivity. odi said, he will also visit Ramakrishna Mission and the famous Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka.
AIR correspondent reports that Bangladesh is currently India’s largest trading partner among the SAARC nations. Export to Bangladesh from India has increased from 4. 7 billion US dollars in the year 2012-13 to over 6 billion dollar in 2013-14.
Investment by Indian companies continues to grow in Bangladesh following the signing of bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection agreement. Issues of connectivity particularly with the North East and West Bengal are also expected to get new momentum.