Hasina-Modi to hold virtual summit on Thursday

Banglesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will hold a virtual summit on Thursday during which two countries are expected to sign nine agreements in different fields, Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said on Tuesday.

two leers would also witness reopening of an old railway link - Chilahati-Haldibari rail route - after 55 years since it was snapped during India-Pakistan war in 1965, when Banglesh was part of Pakistan. rail route will re-link Cooch Behar with Banglesh's Chilahati.

"It is likely as many as nine MoUs on different sectors will be signed during ir virtual meeting…but se are yet to be finalised as y (officials) are still working on it," Momen told PTI.

Earlier, officials at Banglesh Foreign Ministry said number of MoUs to be signed between two sides could be as high as four.

Momen said Dhaka will raise all major bilateral issues including water sharing, COVID-19 cooperation, border killing, tre imbalance, connectivity, power swap and Rohingya crisis.

Elaborating on issues, Momen hinted that water sharing in common rivers would prominently feature during summit. He said Dhaka would seek to bring under a single framework issues of seven major trans-border rivers - Monu, Muhuri, Gomti, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Feni and Teesta.

He said Banglesh side would seek to hold ministerial level Joint River Commission meeting soon, if possible by next month, to make framework to resolve issues of se seven common streams.

He said Testa agreement was finalised long ago as "Indian side even signed on every p of agreement".

" final (Teesta) deal is re, it just awaits implementation,” he said, ding that New Delhi me repeated promises for its implementation in past several years.

Momen also said that bilateral cooperation on COVID-19 pandemic was likely to be top on nda during summit. "India has alrey promised us y will provide COVID-19 vaccine to Banglesh first" and talks were expected to reinforce that understanding, he said.

Banglesh's Beximco Pharma has signed an MoU with India's Serum Institute on vember 5 for priority delivery of 30 million doses of prospective COVID-19 vaccine to country.

Momen said Banglesh would also seek India’s enhanced engment in resolving Rohingya crisis at United Nations. India would join UN Security Council next month as a n-permanent member.

India in past has said it wanted safe, secure and sustainable Rohingya repatriation.

Momen said that Banglesh would also convey its concern over India's Border Security Force's actions, claiming lives of its citizens along frontier areas.

According to Momen, Prime Minister Hasina would urge New Delhi to take some effective measures to reduce bilateral tre gap, which continued to tilt heavily in India's favour, to strengn furr tre cooperation between two neighbours.

"We will urge India to reduce n-tariff tre barriers on Bangleshi products to reduce tre gap," he said.

Momen said that Dhaka would also seek "standard harmonisation" between quality regulating or testing authorities of two countries "so that Bangleshi products can enter Indian market smoothly".

He said Dhaka would also urge New Delhi to withdraw an existing anti-dumping policy in importing Bangleshi jute. He said Dhaka would demand India's preferential treatment to Bangleshi businessmen.

Momen said Prime Minister Hasina would urge her counterpart to expedite implementation of projects under Indian Line of Credit (LoC).

"We have alrey formed a committee including Banglesh foreign secretary and Indian high commissioner to Banglesh to monitor projects under Indian credit line," he said.

Momen said two leers would jointly declare as "Shawdhita Sark" (Independence Ro) an existing two-kilometre ro on zero line along Banglesh's western frontier at Mujibnagar in Meherpur.

He said ro at site, where first Banglesh government was sworn-in in 1971, would be open for people of both countries to be cleared at immigration check posts.

Momen said meeting was taking place coinciding with Banglesh's 50th Victory Day and 49th anniversary of bilateral friendship. two countries have designed a series of ceremonies to mark occasion.

Hasina and Modi will also inaugurate ‘Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Museum’ to pay tributes to founders of Banglesh and India. Some foots of Bangabandhu's under construction biopic being me by Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal would be screened during summit.

Momen said Dhaka was set to hour ar large number of Indian veterans who fought for Banglesh’s liberation in 1971.

He called current phase of bilateral relations as "golden chapter" and "rock solid".

"Our ties with India is a blood relation... one can deny and our victory is India’s victory...Our development is India’s development".

Hasina and Modi held last bilateral talks in New Delhi on October 5 last year while a scheduled visit of later early this year to Dhaka to join Bangabandhu's birth centenary celebrations was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Momen said Dhaka has invited Indian prime minister to join in person Banglesh's 50 years of independence celebrations on March 26, 2021.