Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said that initiatives had taken to resume various cross-border routes between Bangladesh and India that were stopped in 1965, stressing the need for enhancing connectivity between the two countries for mutual benefits.
‘We have to increase connectivity. If the connectivity between the countries is increased, India’s North Eastern provinces - Assam and Tripura - can have access to Chattagram port,’ she said.
The prime minister said this when Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on her at her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka in the afternoon.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newsmen after the call on.
During the meeting, they expressed happiness at the current state of the existing bilateral relations between the countries.
In this connection, the prime minister said that the high-level visits between the countries would give impetus to carry forward the relations.
The Indian minister said that the bilateral issues between the countries were being reviewed and progressing well.
Defense sector cooperation, water sharing of Kushiara and Feni rivers, current Covid situation and impacts of Russia-Ukraine war on the global economy prominently came up in the discussion.
The prime minister said that the Covid situation was well in Bangladesh while Jaishankar said the normalcy was bringing back in India.
Foreign senior secretary Masud Bin Momen, PMO senior secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami were also present.
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
