Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday during which they discussed the issues related to security of mutual interest, co-operation in containing the Covid-19 pandemic and revival of the economy in a post pandemic world.
Shringla, who arrived to Dhaka earlier in the day on his second visit to Bangladesh after he took charge as the foreign secretary, met Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister at her official residence, Ganabhaban.
The meeting between the two lasted for an hour. “It was an excellent meeting,”, sources informed, observing that PM Hasina has not met anyone in the past few months from abroad.
Bangladesh Prime Minister appreciated her Indian counterpart PM Narendra Modi’s “gesture in sending someone to touch base, convey message and see how the two sides could take the relationship forward,” they also said.
In the meeting, both sides discussed the development partnership, enhancing the connectivity, revival of economy post-panedemic, cooperation on COVID-19 assistance, including on therapeutics and vaccine and joint commemoration of Mujib Barsho or the birth centenary of Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, said sources.
They also stated that a proposal for a Joint Consultative Commission at Foreign Ministry level to be convened soon virtually to oversee the relationship, especially the projects. Over the supply of locomotives, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed gratefulness.
India Last month India provided 10 locomotives to Bangladesh under its grant assistance programme, as they committed in October, 2019 during Hasina’s visit to New Delhi and Prime Minister Modi renewed its focus on “neighbourhood first” policy.
Sources stated that the proposal for travel bubble for business, official and medical travel was discussed. The security related issues of mutual interest were also discussed. “The Rohingya issue and their possible safe repatriation to Myanmar was also discussed,” they said.
Around one million Rohingya Muslims fled a attack in 2017 by the Myanmar’s military in Rakhine state and are currently staying in camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. In handling the Rohingya issue Bangladesh required support of India by rising pressure on Myanmar to take back its refugees.
India’s Foreign Sectarary Shringla is expected to meet the Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his counterpart Masud Bin Momen. “He is expected to have bilateral talks with our foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday,” said Bangladesh foreign ministry official.
Both the sides, Bangladesh foreign office and the Indian high commission preferred to keep this visit as a low key affair amid the reports that this is Shringla’s first overseas tour since the coronavirus outbreak.
Masud said while speaking to the reporters that he would like to discuss various bilateral issues particularly regarding the COVID-19 situation and prospective cooperation over the access to coronavirus vaccine, which is being developed by the UK’s Oxford University. “We will talk about trial possibilities of their (India) vaccine (being developed at Oxford University) here as we are continuing our discussion (regarding access to vaccine) with everyone,”.
He informed that he would make the offer in his meeting with Shringla on Wednesday. Vaccine being developed in collaboration with the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, Oxford University’s vaccine candidate is leading in the race for a vaccine its seen as the only viable option to get the world out of the novel Covid-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus vaccine is undergoing the final stage trials in various countries. Also the Serum Institute is set to begin trials of the vaccine in India this week.
Bangladesh has also communicated with the Britain’s AstraZeneca through High Commission in London with the offer for the trial to be held in Bangladesh, which has reported 282,344 Covid-19 cases and 3,740 deaths, said Masud.
They are also trying several ways to secure a vaccine. “Different vaccine producers in India are dealing with the commercial sides of the vaccine. This is the reason driving our efforts. We are in discussion with different countries that have developed vaccines, be it the Americans or Oxford. It (vaccine) could be from China, Russia, USA or India…our discussion is underway with them all,” he said by adding that the government will only go for the vaccine that will appear as safest and most efficient.
Momen, Bangladesh Foreign Minister has described the ties between Bangladesh and India as a “blood relationship”. Masud supported the minister’s comment on Tuesday, saying that Bangladesh and India ties remained “very deep”. He also said that the visit of his counterpart Shringla to Dhaka was not a “sudden” one but rather part of regular bilateral engagements.
He said that The meeting was also expected to talk about other bilateral issues including the recent development on transhipment and railway cooperation with India. Shringla, who has served as Indian High commission to Bangladesh before, visited Dhaka in March last after taking charge of office as the Indian Foreign Secretary this year in January.
