Hasina to meet Modi for bilateral talks on Monday morning

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday morning at Hyderabad House in India’s capital, New Delhi.

Narendra Modi will take the oath for a third consecutive term as prime minister of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

Following the ceremony, India President Draupadi Murmu will host a banquet for the new cabinet and visiting leaders from seven countries.

In addition to the Bangladesh premier, the leaders from Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, the Seychelles, and Mauritius are also attending the oath ceremony. Although no agreement is expected to be signed during the bilateral meeting with Bangladesh due to time constraints, major bilateral issues will be discussed.

The Bangladesh side will address the pending Teesta River water-sharing agreement, renew the Ganga River water-sharing agreement, and establish a new mechanism to reduce border killings.

India is keen to advance a new bilateral economic partnership, seeking a greater role in the Mongla sea port, similar to the Chabahar Port in Iran.

A new sea route extending to the Indo-Pacific is also on the agenda. In addition, India aims to expand the "Sagar" project to connect the Bay of Bengal to the Pacific Ocean, reiterating its "Neighborhood First" policy.

The Bangladeshi delegation includes Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmood, Industrial Advisor Salman F Rahman, State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu, along with the Foreign Secretary, the Director General for South Asia, and the High Commissioner to India, Mustafizur Rahman.