India and Bangladesh are due to hold the seventh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting on Sunday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It will be the first in-person summit since 2020 and will be co-chaired by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen. Notably, the Bangladeshi lawmaker landed in New Delhi on Saturday.
Sunday’s meeting will be the first physical summit since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. India and Bangladesh have coordinated efforts to fight the spread of the deadly infection, with the Modi government donating more than 1.2 million doses of life-saving vaccines. Interestingly, Momen on Saturday extended his greetings to Prime Minister Modi’s mother, Heeraben Modi, wishing her good health and well-being.
“The JCC will examine the full range of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues,” the MEA said. .
Momen delivers keynote address and calls for greater economic collaboration
On Saturday, Momen was received in New Delhi by Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, Muhammad Imran, along with other senior MEA India officials. Shortly after, he delivered a keynote speech at a seminar on economic diplomacy, organized by the Bangladesh Mission in the nation’s capital. In a statement, the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry said, “FM Momen has called for more economic collaboration between Bangladesh and India.”
FM Momen called for greater economic collaboration between Bangladesh and India as he delivered his keynote speech at a seminar on economic diplomacy, organized by BD Mission, New Delhi. The High Commissioner of BD, the High Commissioner of India and the President CII spoke on this occasion. pic.twitter.com/VsDNSdjqwi
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh (@BDMOFA) June 18, 2022
Both countries resume bus services
In another first since the COVID pandemic, the two countries restarted cross-border bus services earlier this month. According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, bus services via ICP Agartala-Akhaura and ICP Haridaspur-Benapole have been reported departing Dhaka early in the morning. The High Commission called the resumption of bus services a major step forward in improving affordable, people-centric connectivity.
India-Bangladesh cross-border bus services resumed! India-Bangladesh b/w bus services via ICP Agartala-Akhaura and ICP Haridaspur-Benapole have resumed with Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka bus being reported from Dhaka early morning today – an important step forward in improving affordable, people-centric connectivity,” the High Commission tweeted along with photographs of buses adorned with flowers.
(Image: ANI)
