Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh will celebrate the golden jubilee of its independence jointly with India and the matter will be discussed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi visit beginning from Thursday (Oct 3).
The minister disclosed the information at a press briefing on the prime minister’s India visit, the maiden one after the general elections of Bangladesh and India, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The prime minister is embarking on the four-day trip at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. She will fly to New Delhi on Oct 3 and return on Oct 6.
The foreign minister said Sheikh Hasina will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi and see Indian President Ramnath Kovind during the visit when 10-12 memorandums of understanding may be signed.
He said border killing, free cross-border movement of peoples of the two countries, duty-free trade, shipping, air and road communication, sharing of waters of the Ganges and Teesta, and maritime cooperation will feature in formal discussion between the two countries.
“We don’t want border killings. BSF used to kill (Bangladeshis) by firing. Now people are being killed while stealing. But the number is small. But it needs to be taken to zero,” he said.
The minister described India’s National Register of Citizens in Assam as the neighbour’s internal matter and said Delhi has assured Dhaka that it has nothing to be worried about the NRC roll.
“We want to keep trust in their government’s assurance,” he added.