Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Bangladesh for a three-day visit. This is her first stand-alone bilateral visit to a South Asian country after assuming charge.
Swaraj will meet the Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali. She is also expected to meet top opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The foreign minister’s visit to Dhaka is part of Narendra Modi government’s outreach to India’s neighbouring countries as was evident in the invites sent to top SAARC leaders to attend the Prime Minister’s swearing-in on May 26.
The long-pending Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) is on Swaraj’s agenda during the visit as is the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement. The trip is expected to open up avenues for a broader engagement between the two countries.
Relations between the Awami League and New Delhi have always been cordial and Hasina was among the first foreign leaders to felicitate Modi on BJP’s thumping electoral victory.