Bangladesh PM to pay 3-day state visit from April 7

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a three-day state visit to India from April 7, her first visit to the country in seven years.

During the visit, Hasina will hold official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8.

Hasina's last visit to India was in January 2010, which was followed by a visit to Dhaka by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015.

"The upcoming visit is expected to further expand the cordial and cooperative relationship between India and Bangladesh and build on the strong ties of friendship and trust between the leaders," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Hasina was earlier scheduled to visit India during last December but the visit was postponed as both sides could not agree on dates.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was in Dhaka in February and met the Bangladesh Prime Minisster after which it was announced that the visit would take place in April.

Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla in Dhaka on Monday after meeting Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said they were attaching "highest importance" to the visit.

Hasina is the head of government of "a neighbouring friendly country with whom we share the longest land boundary. And both land and maritime boundary issues between the two countries have been resolved within a very short time", he said, explaining the importance of the visit, according to bdnews24.

Shringla also said that Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in an "exceptional" gesture invited Hasina to stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan during the visit.

He said that "everything is work in progress. We'll have to see what is possible and what is not possible," when asked whether there would be any breakthrough on Teesta water sharing deal, the site reported.

--IANS

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