Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be accompanied by five chief ministers on a two-day visit to Dhaka, starting September 6. It will be the first official visit of an Indian prime minister to the neighboring nation in 12 years. The bilateral meeting marks a tremendous improvement in Indo-Bangladesh relations largely thanks to the introduction of a new Bangladeshi government in 2009; Manmohan Singh’s counterpart, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, saw an electoral landslide in elections, putting in place a Awami League majority.
In a landmark agreement that will tackle historic border disputes, the sides are widely expected to agree to swap 162 enclaves – pockets of one country’s territory that are surrounded by the other. They are also expected to tackle another long standing issue: water sharing of Teesta, a river shared by the two nations. It is hoped that this will help induce the process of forging a South Asian Golden Quadrilateral, a sub-regional partnership with Nepal and Bhutan targeted towards ensuring long-term cooperation and sharing of water resources, power and connectivity.
Image Credit: PMO