Visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister to Bangladesh, 6 to 8 August 2005

H. E. Mr. K. Natwar Singh, Minister for External Affairs of India, visited Bangladesh from 6 to 8 August 2005. He was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Mr. Shyam Saran and senior officials of the Indian side. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary H. E. Mr. Hemayetuddin welcomed Mr. Singh upon his arrival in Dhaka at the airport.

During his visit, Mr. Singh, had bilateral official talks with his counterpart Bangladesh Foreign Minister H. E. Mr. M. Morshed Khan, M.P. Foreign Secretaries and high officials of both countries aided the two Ministers at the talks. Bangladesh Foreign Minister hosted a dinner in honour of the Indian Foreign Minister. A cultural programme was organized on the occasion.

During the official talks, the discussions covered the entire gamut of the bilateral relations. Special emphasis were given on the need for comprehensive cooperation between Bangladesh and India in the area of trade and investment, and to continue discussions in other areas of economic and commercial cooperation, sharing of common river waters, land boundary Issues, increased communication linkages and cooperation in various sectors. The two Ministers also exchanged views on the current international and regional situation and agreed to cooperate for global peace and security and in bringing reforms in the United Nations that would be acceptable to all member states.

During his stay in Dhaka, the Indian Minister called on Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia at her office. He handed over a letter to the Hon'ble Prime Minister from the Prime Minister of India H. E. Dr. Manmohan Singh inviting her to visit India. The Hon'ble Prime Minister has accepted the invitation and expressed her willingness to visit India "at a convenient time". She reciprocated by inviting the Indian Prime Minister to pay a visit to Bangladesh, in addition to his trip to Dhaka for the upcoming SAARC Summit from 12 to 13 November 2005. The Indian side has accepted the invitation and said their Prime Minister would visit Dhaka at a convenient time. Mr. Singh informed the Prime Minister that his Bangladesh trip and discussions at various levels were "fruitful, useful, successful and constructive".

Mr. Singh also had a meeting with H.E. Mr. M. Saifur Rahman, Minister for Finance and Planning of Bangladesh. They discussed the issues of common interest between the two countries. The Indian Minister also met other senior leaders. He visited "Ram Krishna Mission" in Dhaka and "Gandhi Asram" in Noakhali. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister and Indian External Affairs Minister also addressed the concluding session of 'Indo-Bangladesh Dialogue on Trade, Investment and Connectivity' organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a local think-tank, and India International Centre (IIC).

The visit of the Indian External Minister to Bangladesh was "a part of confidence-building measures" and discussions at various levels were "fruitful, useful, successful and constructive". Both countries emphasized the need for such visits from both sides to boost bilateral relations.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister was present at the airport to see off the Indian External Affairs Minister at the time of his departure.