Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today for a two-day bilateral visit.
The top Indian diplomat will have courtesy calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Affairs Minister AH Mahmood Ali in the evening. Both the Bangladeshi and the Indian foreign secretaries will have their formal talks tomorrow.
Jaishankar's visit is considered significant in the backdrop of the recent killings of bloggers, publisher, writers and teachers, as well as the overall security situation in Bangladesh and South Asia.
The Islamic State and al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the killings, but the government claimed that these brutal acts were done by “home-grown” fundamental outfits.
Diplomatic sources said the security aspect will get importance in the discussion with the visiting foreign secretary.
On Monday, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said the US Department of State's Assistant Secretary Nisha Desai Biswal had a meeting with Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla during her visit in the city last week.
She was speaking to journalists after a two-hour meeting with Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We always compare notes and are looking at the situation each country looks at,” Bernicat said. “Three governments – Bangladesh, India and the United States – are all fighting extremism; absolutely we all are on the same page... all three of us on the same page.”
Bernicat also said a delegation from Washington would arrive in Dhaka later this week to discuss what Bangladesh needs to do in order to improve security in the country.
When contacted, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have multidimensional relations with India and we [the secretaries] will discuss all issue relevant to us.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and India yesterday discussed modalities and framework for setting up Indian economic zones in various locations, including Bheramera, and information technology SEZs in Keraniganj and Chittagong's Mirsarai for mutual benefit.
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority's Executive Member S M Shawkat Ali while the Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (Bangladesh-Myanmar) of Indian Foreign Ministry Sripriya Ranganathan.
A press release issued by the Indian High Commission said it was the first meeting of the joint working group to operationalise the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishing Indian economic zone signed during the visit of the Indian prime minister to Bangladesh in June last year.
Both sides agreed to meet at regular intervals to monitor the progress of cooperation activities being undertaken under the MoU.
Meanwhile, Indian foreign ministry's official spokesperson Vikas Swarup at a press briefing on May 5 said they were trying to upgrade the visa application systems in Bangladesh.
In response to a question on difficulties of getting e-token for tourist visa, he said: “We are fully cognisant of those [problems] and are trying to ensure a completely streamlined, transparent and efficient system.”
Thursday, April 25, 2024
