India prioritises strong ties with Bangladesh: Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underscored his government's commitment to improving relations with Bangladesh, describing the country as a significant pillar of India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

Modi made the remarks at a virtual summit with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday.

“To strengthen relations with Bangladesh has been a priority for me since the first day,” Modi said.

“This year has been full of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, there has been good cooperation between our countries in the sphere of working with health professions, COVID-19 vaccine etc,” he added, while commending Bangladesh's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting started at 11:30 am Thursday with a focus on enhancing connectivity between the South Asian neighbours while a number of MoUs involving various sectors were also on the table.

Hasina and Modi relaunched a trans-border rail route between Chilahati and West Bengal's Haldibari which has been inoperative for almost 55 years.

The railway line from Haldibari in Cooch Behar to Chilahati in northern Bangladesh has been defunct after rail links between India and then East Pakistan snapped in 1965.