Indian FS to arrive in Dhaka to finalise PM Hasina’s upcoming visit

Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Dhaka along with senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs immediately to finalise the schedule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to the neighbouring country.

Smita Panth, joint secretary in charge of Bangladesh, who has been already designated as the next ambassador of Uzbekistan, is also accompanying Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, our New Delhi correspondent report quoting a diplomatic source.

According to the source, the Foreign Secretary is visiting Dhaka on 20 April to finalise the Prime Minister's proposed bilateral visit to India after the 18th Lok Sabha election. 

Earlier, it was planned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may visit New Delhi in the last week of June. Now India may propose the visit in July.

The high-level Indian delegation will discuss many significant issues during its Dhaka visit with their respective counterparts, the source said.

During his visit, Indian Foreign Secretary Kwatra is expected to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Foreign Minister and his Bangladesh counterpart Masud Bin Momen.

India is keen to invite the Bangladesh Prime Minister before her proposed visit to China anytime in July.

India has already sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, requesting her to visit the country for discussions on numerous bilateral issues, including Teesta water sharing, a highly placed source within the Indian government said.

The construction work of the Teesta water reservoir and dredging of the river are on the agenda of the discussion and the situation prevailing in Myanmar will take place during the bilateral meeting, the source said