Impact of PM’s Bangladesh Visit

PM Modi’s two-day visit (March 26-27, 2021) should be considered from the perspective of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ strategy toward its neighbours. The goal of this policy is for India to be seen as a country that is prospering economically and strategically and wants to share that wealth with its neighbours since India feels that a prosperous and safe neighbourhood equals a successful and secure India. India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) strategy, the core of India’s diplomacy, has recently defined this notion.

Important points to know about this visit

• Modi and Hasina, along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, launched a bus service between Kolkata and Agartala via Dhaka and a bus service between Dhaka and Shillong-Guwahati.
• PM Modi used the occasion to welcome Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to visit India and announce the Swarna Jayanti scholarship for Bangladeshi youths.
• During his two-day visit to Bangladesh, the Prime Minister will attend many programs, visit the 1971 Liberation War Memorial, and conduct lengthy conversations with Hasina.
• Both sides will make efforts to promote commerce and sign pacts to improve connectivity between the two countries.
• Bangladesh is an important trading partner for India, with two-way trade totalling $5.34 billion in 2012-2013, with India exporting $4.776 billion to Bangladesh and importing $0.564 million.
• The two countries want to improve railway connectivity, particularly by reviving railway links before 1965.
• The two nations are also expected to sign a coastal shipping deal to make it easier for small vessels to sail from India to Bangladesh’s ports, currently routed through Singapore.
• Bangladesh expressed gratitude to the Indian government for providing 3.2 million doses of India’s Oxford Astra Zeneca Covidshield vaccine.

Because of the emphasis on deepening involvement among Bangladesh’s youth, the visit was futuristic in its approach. Furthermore, enhancing cooperation in sectors such as space, nuclear energy use for peaceful purposes, and other areas is prioritised in the bilateral discussion plan between the two countries during the visit.

Bangladesh underlined its long-standing request to complete the Teesta River’s water-sharing interim deal. PM Modi attended the Bangabandhu, Bapapu Museum’s launch event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Bangladesh’s capital.

PM visit and Security related cooperation

Bangladesh and India share a 4096-kilometre border, the majority of which is porous. Both nations are likely to want to improve security collaboration, particularly to restrain insurgent groups in the northeast. The Hasina government has taken action against northeast militants who sought asylum in Bangladesh in the past.

Our partnership with Bangladesh is dependent on security and defence. In recent years, we inked a defence cooperation deal with Bangladesh. Regularly, we have conducted joint military exercises, as well as training and capacity-building exercises. A source stated, “Our armed forces chiefs visit Bangladesh regularly during a press conference.”

“Our defence collaboration is great between our two countries. We’ll continue to build depth and energy to that relationship as time goes on,” Sources remarked.

Defence cooperation

The foreign secretary also mentioned that India had granted Bangladesh a $500 million line of credit for defence imports. The Bangladesh Army will receive 18 new 120 mm mortars in December 2020 as part of army-to-army cooperation.

A 122-strong Bangladeshi tri-services group marched in India’s Republic Day celebration in January. The INS Kulish and INS Sumedha, two Indian naval ships, visited Bangladesh’s Mongla Port on March 8-10, marking India’s first naval visit in 50 years. Modi will cover the length and breadth of Bangladesh, according to Shringla, and it will be his first visit to the country in 2015. This will also be the PM’s first trip outside of the country since the Covid-19 lockdown last year.

Sources added that Bangladesh is India’s “closest neighbour” and that relations with the country have reached a “golden time,” referring to Dhaka’s willingness to participate in China’s Belt and Road initiative as well as Dhaka’s want to engage in the Indo-Pacific strategic initiative.

Conclusion

While all India’s neighbours are essential, Bangladesh holds a unique position among them. Bangladeshi ties are vital to India’s economic and strategic interests. The success of India’s Act East policy, the development of the North East, economic integration with the South East, the progress of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) as well as Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, and peace and security in India’s East are all dependent on our ties with Bangladesh.