Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposed visit to India has been postponed, officials at the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Published : 08 Dec 2016, 06:15 PM
Modi-Mamata spat may hit Teesta deal
Sheikh Hasina’s India visit dates yet to be finalised: New Delhi
“It has been postponed,” a senior official at the foreign ministry told bdnews24.com, but declined to give any reason for the postponement.
The date of the prime minister’s tour had not been announced officially, but the three-day trip was due to begin from Dec 18, according to officials at the foreign ministry who spoke with bdnews24.com on Tuesday.
The Indian authorities had earlier said Dhaka and New Delhi were working on finalising the dates and itinerary of the Bangladesh prime minister’s visit after Hasina accepted the invitation from her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali had also said the two countries were expecting ‘newer efforts’ and productive discussion of issues of bilateral interest to deepen their existing good relations.
However, there has been no indication that the long-pending Teesta water-sharing deal will be signed when the visit goes ahead.
A senior official, however, said Bangladesh could not agree on a date with India, which is the reason for the postponement. “We’ll work on new dates”.
The two leaders last met in Goa on Oct 16 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, when Modi reassured Hasina that Bangladesh and India would remain together for the sake of development.
Modi visited Bangladesh from June 6 to 7 last year and issued a joint declaration with Hasina aimed at launching a new beginning -- ‘Notun Projonmo - Nayi Disha’.