PM Sheikh Hasina and Indian Finance Minister Sitharaman interact at G20 dinner

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a brief interaction with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the G20 Dinner at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday (9 September).

"@nsitharaman interacts with Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina at the G20 Dinner hosted by President Smt Droupadi Murmu (@rashtrapatibhvn) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi," Office of the Indian finance minister said on a post shared on X.

PM Hasina who arrived in India on Friday, held a bilateral talk with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the same day, reports Times of India. 

Bangladesh and India signed three memorandum of understanding (MoUs), including one on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanisms.

"The MoU on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanism was signed between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Bangladesh Bank," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.

Another MoU focused on the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) between India and Bangladesh for 2023-2025.

The third MoU was signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC).

Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi also looked forward to the beginning negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), covering trade in goods, and services, and protecting and promoting investment, the Indian foreign ministry release said.

The full range of bilateral cooperation, including political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development collaboration, and cultural and people-to-people linkages, was discussed by the two leaders.

Discussions also included recent regional developments and collaboration in international fora.