India, Bangladesh to deepen cooperation against radical elements

Aug 18, 2020
New Delhi/Dhaka: India and Bangladesh have agreed for increased Intelligence sharing in their joint battle against radical elements, sources said here.

The issue came up when Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina On Tuesday.

A joint consultative meeting between the foreign minister of Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on security and counter-terrorism is likely very shortly. This is particularly significant considering the terror threat in the subcontinent emanating from Pakistan.

Looking at the Covid situation, Shringla briefed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on India’s ideas about the economic revival post Corona. There is considerable development assistance to Bangladesh on very easy terms (1 per cent interest with a moratorium of ten years) and several projects will be completed next year. This can be seen in the light of China offering very generous loans to Dhaka.

But currently, there are plans for an air bubble between India and Bangladesh. This will be for primarily businessman and medical tourists. Discussions are underway and an early announcement is likely, the sources said.

Sources said that Sheikh Hasina appreciated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent an envoy to Dhaka at this time. She also thanked India for the delivery of locomotives. During the hour-long meeting, the joint plans for the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman centenary and the 50th anniversary of Indo-Bangladesh ties were discussed. A Sheikh Mujib postage stamp by India’s post and telegraph department is on the cards.

–India News Stream