Kathmandu. India and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to exchange cooperation in the fields of maritime security, oceans, economy, space and telecommunications. These agreements were signed between the two countries during the visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. According to the Indian media, India and Bangladesh have come a little closer to the defense agreement due to these agreements. However, the detailed details of the contract have not been made public.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is visiting India from Saturday. This is the first time that a foreign head of government has made an official visit to India after Modi assumed the post of prime minister for the third time. Sheikh Hasina also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi two weeks ago.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Sheikh Hasina informed that Bangladesh and India have decided to increase cooperation in river water sharing, electricity and energy sectors. She also met Indian industrialists and called them to increase investment.
In the last eight years, India has provided loan assistance to Bangladesh worth about 8 billion US dollars. With this cooperation, work will be done in the field of huge physical infrastructure. Recently, Bangladesh is preparing to further develop waterways, railways and road connections. Amidst these preparations, Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India and the agreements made are being looked at with importance.
Since Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League came to power in 2009, India and Bangladesh have enjoyed cordial relations. However, many issues such as distribution of Teesta river water, illegal immigration, etc. are yet to be resolved. However, trade and political relations between these two countries are smooth.
Bangladesh has also built good relations with its neighbor China. China is Bangladesh’s major trading partner. China imports Bangladesh’s textile raw materials. Bangladesh is world famous in textile industry. He earns about 80 percent of his total foreign exchange from clothes alone. Bangladesh has maintained diplomatic and trade relations with the anti-China US and India as well.
Bangladesh is included in the Indo-Pacific strategy that India has launched with the aim of competing with China’s BRI. Experts in the diplomatic field say that this strategy launched by India with the slogan ‘neighbors first’ is inspired by the aim of advancing regional cooperation and preventing China’s dominance.