Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud called on the President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhaban.
The President of India congratulated Dr. Mahmud on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. She also congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for being one of the longest-serving women leaders globally and forming the Government for an unprecedented 5th term. She noted that all the women in South Asia should be proud of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her capability and leadership.
The President of India expressed happiness about the excellent existing relationship between Bangladesh and India. She said, India attaches high importance to the relations with Bangladesh. She noted that Bangladesh is the largest development and trading partner of India.
The President of India lauded the remarkable socio-economic development in Bangladesh that has been achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The President of India said both countries should work together to focus on women empowerment – half of the population – to foster economic development.
Foreign Minister Mahmud briefed the President of India about his visit and stressed on having excellent relations with India.
The Foreign Minister requested the President to visit Bangladesh at her earliest convenience.
Foreign Minister Mahmud also met the Vice President of India and the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha Mr Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Indian Parliament. He had a tour of the newly built Parliament Building of India.
Earlier in the morning, the Foreign Minister met Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry of India. The Foreign Minister mentioned that the new Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina starts a fresh journey with new mandates, and one of the priorities of the Government is to address the prices of essential commodities. He requested the Commerce Minister to take necessary measures in ensuto ensurering an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh till Ramadan.
Mr Piyush Goyal said India is committed to ensuring the economic and financial stability in Bangladesh. He assured of accommodating the request of Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister for supplying essential commodities. He stressed further improving the trade and commerce relations between the two countries.
Another thing that featured in the discussion was holding regular meetings including the Commerce Minister Level Meeting to address the issues related to trade and commerce.
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Mahmud made keynote speeches at the prestigious think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation and Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia. In these two keynote addresses he highlighted the Bangladesh-India relations in the last decade and the way forward to make the relationship even stronger.