External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Thursday held talks with his counterpart Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen in Bangladesh and called on Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina. Dhaka is the first stop in a two-nation neighbourhood visit undertaken by Mr. Jaishankar, along with top Indian diplomats including the Foreign Secretary-designate Vinay Mohan Kwatra. Both the countries have been affected by the high energy prices following the crisis in Ukraine and have voted cautiously on various UN platforms. vis-a-vis the same.
"(Held) Positive discussions with Bangladesh FM Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen. Agreed that our close neighbourly partnership is progressing steadily. Our shared endeavour would be to take it forward.. Looking forward to hosting him for the Joint Consultative Commission," said Dr. Jaishankar after a round of conversations with his counterpart Dr. Momen.
Dr. Jaishankar conveyed a personal message from PM Modi to Sheikha Hasina. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Bangladesh in a statement said that during the talks, the two sides had "emphasised on promoting trade, commerce and connectivity especially in the light of supply chain disruption resulting from COVID-19 restrictions and recent conflict in Ukraine".
The visit hit media headlines in Dhaka after Mr. Momen informed that he has urged the Indian side to help in lifting the U.S. sanctions imposed on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which in the past was accused of extrajudicial killings. The Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi, however, declined to get into the details of the alleged exchange involving the sanctions on the RAB with the U.S., saying India may not go public about this if it involved a third country (U.S.).
The visit comes months after President Ram Nath Kovind was hosted in Dhaka during the Vijay Divas celebrations last December. It is understood that PM Hasina is likely to visit India before the end of summer. Mr. Jaishankar is scheduled to leave for Bhutan on Friday.
