Indian FS Harsh Vardhan arrives in Dhaka to boost ties
He is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, among others, and discuss ways to strengthen the bond between the two countries in the days to come
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived in Dhaka today at 11.22am on a whirlwind visit aiming to boost ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Dhaka airport's Armed Police Battalion (APBn) senior official confirmed of his arrival to The Business Standard.
According to diplomatic source, the Indian Foreign Secretary is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, among others, and discuss ways to strengthen the relations between the two countries in the days to come.
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Shringla is carrying a message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence and hand over the message.
A Bangladesh foreign ministry official, who is familiar the visit briefly said, "Shringla would be in Dhaka for two days when he was expected to have official talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen tomorrow."
The official added Shringla, who previous served as Indian high commissioner in Dhaka was also expected to make courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today.
"Foreign Secretary of India is on a visit to Dhaka from August 18-19, 2020 to discuss and take forward cooperation on matters of mutual interest," an Indian High Commission statement meanwhile said without elaboration.
India has recently described its relations with Bangladesh as "exceptionally close" but expressed displeasure over "mischievous" story pertaining to Bangladesh-India ties.
"We're confident that both sides appreciate mutual sensitivity and mutual respect building further on the relationship," said Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at a virtual weekly media briefing in New Delhi recently.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen termed Bangladesh-India relations a 'blood relationship' while Bangladesh-China relations an "economic tie."
Referring to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's recent remarks, the MEA Spokesperson said India's relationship with Bangladesh is a role model of good neighbourly relations in the region.
On August 14, Bangladesh's Deputy High Commission in Kolkata condemned the disinformation campaign targeting Bangladesh by several web portals based in India's northeastern region.
