Sheikh Hasina is the first guest on State visit in PM’s third term: What can we expect?

Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on Friday. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her retinue landed at Palam Airport in New Delhi around 3.30 pm.

Hasina is on a two-day state visit – her second trip to India in less than two weeks.

Hasina attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on 9 June.

But what can we expect from Hasina’s visit to India? And why does it matter?

Let’s take a closer look:

What can we expect?

Hasina on Friday met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussed various bilateral issues. “Delighted to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh this evening. Her State visit to India underlines our close and abiding ties. Appreciate her guidance on the further development of our special partnership,” Jaishankar said on X on Friday.

Today, she was given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan where she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi and Hasina will then hold delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House.

Hasina is set to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Several agreements covering various key areas are expected to be firmed up during the talks, a source told PTI.

The talks between the two leaders are expected to focus on taking the bilateral ties to new heights, another added.

Hindustan Times quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the bilateral relationship would be discussed.

Several schemes to increase road, rail and energy connectivity will also be examined.

Subjects such as the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty – a 30-year deal signed in December 1996 – Bangladesh wanting to develop its part of the Teesta River, and Dhaka wanting a steady supply of onions, ginger, rice and wheat are also likely to be discussed.

Though China has offered to take on the $1 billion project to develop the Teesta River, the Indian side is wary about the prospect of such a deal.

Modi and Hasina will also likely discuss the situation in Myanmar, as per Hindustan Times.

New Indian Express reported that the management of Mongla Port – the second busiest port in Bangladesh – will also be discussed.

India is mulling developing the port in the vein of Iran’s Chabahar Port or Myanmar’s Sittwe Port.

The Business Standard quoted sources in Bangladesh’s foreign ministry as saying a potential trade deal could be in the offing.

Deepening the defence partnership could also be talked about.

India has offered Bangladesh a 500 million line of credit for its defence sector – which remains unused.

Why does it matter?

This is Hasina’s first overseas state visit since she began her fifth term in January.

This is also her third trip to India since September – which shows the importance she ascribes to ties between the two nations.

Hasina is also India’s first state guest since Modi took power for a third time.

According to The Business Standard, India getting to manage Mongla Port – which would be its third international port operation after Chabahar and Sittwe – will cement its status as major player in the region’s security architecture.

Economic Times reported that a joint military exercise is also in the pipeline.

The newspaper last week that the Bangladesh military was inundated with complaints from its branches about faulty spare sparts with regard to Chinese imported defence equipment as well as technical challenges.

Hindustan Times quoted people in the know as saying that Bangladesh was eager for Hasina to visit India before her trip to China in July.

This is part of Dhaka wanting to maintain good relations with both India and China.

Hasina was among the top leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union council of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 9 June.

The leaders who attended the ceremony included President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives’ president Dr Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Prime Minister of Bhuta Tshering Tobgay.

Leaders of Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan were accompanied by ministers.

Modi briefly met all the leaders after the swearing-in, as per Hindustan Times.

The overall strategic ties between India and Bangladesh have been on an upswing in the last few years.

Bangladesh is an important partner for India under its “Neighbourhood First” policy and the cooperation extends to areas of security, trade, commerce, energy, connectivity, science and technology, defence and maritime affairs among others.

The achievements in the connectivity sector included the inauguration of the Maitri Setu bridge over river Feni in Tripura and the rollout of the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link.

Bangladesh is India’s largest development partner with nearly one-fourth of New Delhi’s commitment under the Line of Credit has been made to that country.

Bangladesh is India’s biggest trading partner in South Asia and India is the second biggest trading partner of Bangladesh in Asia.

India is Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia, with approximate $2 billion of Bangladeshi exports to India in 2022-23.

In 2022-23, the total bilateral trade has been reported as $15.9 billion.

With inputs from agencies