Bangladesh FM to visit India March 1-2

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali will visit India this week, High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali said yesterday.

The minister will arrive in New Delhi on a two-day visit on March 1. He is expected to hold a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue, to be organised by a leading think-tank on March 2, added the envoy.

Muazzem said the present India-Bangladesh relations are at their “best” since 1974. He stressed the need to expedite the process of economic integration of the two countries.

“Today, inter-state relationship is pretty much based on economic cooperation, technical cooperation and investment, among other factors.

“There are other problems, but I am sure that we will be able to resolve those with goodwill and sincerity. We should not spend all our time resolving the past issues, we should also look into the future,” said the diplomat.

According to him, a strong neighbourhood was in the “common interest” of Bangladesh and India.

“Security has always been a problem in our part of the world. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has dealt with the issue with an iron hand,” he mentioned.