Hasina-Modi meeting could take place in London in April

A meeting between Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi could take place in the third week of April. Sheikh Hasina is set to attend the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Britain during that time, and Narendra Modi is also attending the same event. According to a report published by Anandabazar Patrika, both countries have launched an initiative for a meeting between Sheikh Hasina and Modi on the sidelines of CHOGM. Almost a year has passed since the last meeting took place between the two leaders, and polls are just around the corner in both Bangladesh and India. The meeting, if held, will be the last top level meeting between the governments of these countries, within their current tenure. So, this meeting holds significant importance for the whole South Asia region. National Security Advisor to the prime minister of India Ajit Doval recently visited Dhaka to attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit. Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is also scheduled to pay a visit to Dhaka. An insider from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs revealed that the country is prioritizing improving diplomatic ties with Bangladesh. India is also putting more emphasis on Track II diplomacy. Vice Chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata Prof Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury and Vice Chancellor of Visva Bharati Sabuj Kali Sen are set to visit Dhaka on April 10, to attend a discussion on Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. Sources from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that Sheikh Hasina and her counterpart Narendra Modi will discuss matters of bilateral interests such as current international and regional issues. However, Modi will not be able to address the Teesta issue in the meeting. The Indian ministry recently pointed out that there are many important issues to be discussed, such as ongoing developed projects backed by India, regional security and counter-terrorism initiatives. New Delhi is concerned that if Bangladesh suffers polls time violence, it could spark unrest in the border regions. So, the leaders would discuss ways to strengthen security cooperation. Indian will also reaffirm its firm stance on supporting Bangladesh to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis. Last year, India and Myanmar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for socio-economic development of Myanmar's Rakhine state. India is also inspecting whether the Rakhine state has enough provision to tackle natural disasters.