India has said Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud's first bilateral visit to New Delhi reflects the high importance and priority both countries attach to their bilateral relationship.

​During the visit, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Hasan will hold talks, in which both leaders will review the progress in wide-ranging areas of bilateral relations and chart out the agenda for future engagement.

They will also exchange views on sub-regional, regional and multilateral issues of common interest.

​At the invitation of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud will visit India from February 7- 9.

This will be his first bilateral visit abroad as Foreign Minister after swearing in of the new government in Bangladesh.

The foreign minister is going to India tonight (Tuesday) and is scheduled to hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishanka on Wednesday.

The foreign minister is likely to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will have a separate meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during his stay in New Delhi.

Since the Foreign Minister will have a meeting with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the current security situation in Myanmar is likely to be discussed in the context of regional issues, said a diplomatic source.

He will also pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the iconic Rajghat. He is likely to attend a seminar, too.

Though the Foreign Minister will go to New Delhi directly, he will return to Dhaka via Kolkata on Friday night (February 9), a senior official told UNB.

In Kolkata, he will attend a "meet the press" event and a reception, to be hosted by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission.

Minister Hasan on Tuesday said that the Rohingya repatriation issue will be discussed with India during his first bilateral visit to New Delhi apart from discussion on overall bilateral issues.

He mentioned that Myanmar is a neighbouring country for both Bangladesh and India.

 

Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the minister said Bangladesh has been seeking India's support regarding the Rohingya repatriation. "So, overall this issue will be discussed," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last September where the Rohingya issue was discussed.

With regard to the regional situation, Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting over a million persons displaced from the Rakhine State in Myanmar, and conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.

Earlier, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seheli Sabrin, said issues of mutual interest including trade, connectivity and energy cooperation, people-to-people contacts and regional cooperation will be discussed between the two sides at the bilateral meeting to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations.

Asked whether the Teesta water-sharing issue will be discussed in the meeting, the foreign ministry spokesperson said they expect the issue would be discussed.