Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked his Bangladeshi counterpart, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for the existing peaceful situation in the northeastern region of India, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
“The prime minister of India expressed his deep gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her contribution in ensuring the existing peaceful situation in the northeastern region of the country,” he said after the bilateral meeting between the leaders in New Delhi on Friday.
With her "zero-tolerance" policy towards terrorism and extremism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wiped out the separatist forces of the Indian northeastern states that used to take refuge in Bangladesh before 2009, he said.
She also publicly announced that Bangladeshi soil would not be allowed to be used against any country, he added.
The prime minister went to New Delhi on Friday for an exceptional visit, being the only South Asian leader invited to the G20 summit under India's presidency.
She will attend the G20 summit on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, she will have meetings with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and the presidents of the UAE, South Korea, and Argentina on the sidelines.
After the bilateral meeting, Modi said on X that “gladdening progress” had been made in the bilateral relations between the two neighbours over the past nine years.
Both leaders also witnessed the signing of three MoUs - Cooperation on Agricultural Research and Education between the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Extension of the Cultural Exchange Program from 2023 to 2025 and network connectivity between Bangladesh Bank and the National Payments Corporation of India to facilitate transactions in rupees and taka for trade.
“Had productive deliberations with PM Sheikh Hasina. The progress in India-Bangladesh relations over the last nine years has been very gladdening. Our talks covered areas such as connectivity, commercial linkage, and more,” Modi said on X.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen described the meeting as “fruitful”.
“We believe this fruitful and open discussion between the two prime ministers in a sincere atmosphere will speed up the resolution of outstanding issues between the countries, benefiting both peoples,” he said.
The foreign minister said, that before the bilateral meeting, Indian PM Modi received Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at his official residence. They also had a tete-a-tete.
PM Hasina thanked India for inviting her to the summit. She also thanked India for bringing up the issues of the Global South at the summit.
PM Modi thanked Bangladesh for attending all G20-related events.
Both leaders expressed their satisfaction over the “deep” bilateral relations and agreed to take “effective measures” to further enhance these relations.
Modi stressed resolving the outstanding issues between the countries through discussions at the official level.
India is Bangladesh's second-largest trading partner.
PM Hasina urged India to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities for Bangladesh.
Both leaders agreed to enhance bilateral and regional connectivity via railway and road.
The premier also sought India’s support for the Rohingya repatriation, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said both leaders reiterated their firm commitment to further strengthening the excellent bilateral relations that exist between the two friendly neighbours.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulated the Indian prime minister for successfully steering the G20 process and for making a significant contribution to advancing the interests of people across the globe, especially those of the Global South.
They noted with satisfaction the achievements made in a number of areas of mutual interest since the last state visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to New Delhi in September 2022.
She expressed satisfaction over the recent increase in bilateral trade between the two countries and emphasized the importance of ensuring a smooth and predictable supply of essential commodities from India to Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Modi appreciated Bangladesh’s active participation in various G20 meetings as a guest country, the foreign ministry said.
He lauded the unprecedented developments achieved in various socio-economic sectors in Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.