Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Wednesday said his country has total support for the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports UNB.
“We have total support for you and your leadership,” he said while paying a courtesy call on the Bangladesh prime minister at the latter's official residence, Ganabhaban.
PM's speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting.
Nazrul quoted Kwatra as saying that India will remain beside Bangladesh during its development journey, including political and economic progress.
During the meeting, the Indian foreign secretary invited Sheikh Hasina to attend the 18th Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, which will take place in New Delhi on September 9-10.
Accepting the invitation, the prime minister extended her thanks to her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
India, which holds the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023, invited Bangladesh as a guest country in its all meetings.
Describing the bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries as very firm, Kwatra said the whole world now values Bangladesh-India relations, which have already reached a strategic level. This relationship is being strengthened further, he added.
In this context, the prime minister mentioned India as a trusted friend and hoped that this friendship will deepen further.
She said both countries can work on the socio-economic development of their people.
The visiting Indian official said they are trying to make the terms and conditions of Indian lines of credit (LoC) easier so that Bangladesh can avail of the credit and repay it easily.
He said bilateral trade and business should be run with the use of both countries' local currencies.
PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma were present.
Kwatra arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday evening on an official visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Momen.
