Highlights:
- PM Modi will visit Bangladesh next week to celebrate the country’s golden jubilee of independence
- PM Modi will be among the distinguished foreign guests, as will heads of state and government from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives
- According to Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, the two sides are supposed to sign three agreements. However, these MoUs haven’t been finalised yet
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka next week to commemorate the country’s golden jubilee of independence and the birth centenary of its founder, ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, India and Bangladesh are expected to sign three agreements.
Distinguished foreign guests, including Prime Minister Modi and heads of state and government from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, will attend the celebrations on separate schedules.
Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen said at a press conference ahead of the 10-day celebrations, which begin on March 17, “It’s a historic event for Bangladesh since five heads of state and government have never visited Dhaka in a 10-day period (without any summit).”
Mr Momen while informing about the upcoming event, said, “Heads of state and government from our neighbouring countries have come to pay their respects to our Father of the Nation at this unusual time (due to COVID-19).”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and visit three locations outside of Dhaka during his visit.
According to Mr Momen, the two sides are supposed to sign three agreements. He said, “These (MoUs) aren’t final yet.”
The MoUs are expected to be signed in the fields of disaster management and cooperation between some institutions of the two countries, according to Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen.
Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh also said, “We are still working on every Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Within one or two days, we will have the final scenario for the MoUs.”
According to the itinerary, all foreign leaders will pay homage to the independence martyrs at the National Memorial in Savar, visit the Bangabandhu Museum in Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Bangladesh’s founding father, watch special military parades, and attend State banquets.
PM Modi will also pay a visit to the Bangabandhu shrine in Tungipara, as well as two Hindu temples outside of Dhaka, one in Gopalganj and the other in Satkhira, in southwestern Bangladesh.
The temples are places of worship for the Hindu Matua community in particular. West Bengal is home to a sizable portion of the Matua culture.
On March 17, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives, will be the first top international official to arrive in Dhaka for a three-day visit. On March 19, Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, who will arrive on a two-day visit.
From March 22, President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari will be in Dhaka for a two-day visit, while Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering will be in Dhaka from March 24 to 25. PM Modi is scheduled to visit Dhaka on March 26 and return the next day.
Mr Momen said that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as a number of other top leaders from different countries and international organisations, will send video messages on the occasion.
