NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi called for together fighting forces looking to “attack” mutual trust between India and Bangladesh, while also stressing the need to intensify cooperation against terrorism and radicalism, in a meeting on Tuesday with his visiting Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. Amid concerns over rising extremism in Bangladesh, Modi said such cooperation is important to keep the spirit of 1971 alive.
The summit saw the two sides signing seven agreements, including one for sharing water of the Kushiyara river, as they agreed to ramp up cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity, water resources, security and defence. The two leaders also inaugurated a thermal power plant — Unit 1 of the $2-billion 1320MW Maitree Project in Khulna — and announced four connectivity-related projects.
Bangladesh assured India it remained committed to ensuring security for its minority communities and the two sides also agreed to remain mindful of each other's security concerns and “strategic priorities”. Underlining that India is the largest market in Asia for Bangladesh’s exports, Modi said in his remarks after the meeting that the two countries will soon start discussions for a free trade agreement, or CEPA, to further speed up growth in bilateral trade. India is also Bangladesh’s second largest trading partner.
