The visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has handed over a letter from her Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
Published : 26 Jun 2014, 09:07 PM
In the letter, Modi has invited Hasina to visit New Delhi at a convenient time.
Foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali read out parts of the letter at a press briefing on Thursday to give people an idea of what Modi thinks of Bangladesh.
Ali said Modi wants to take the existing Dhaka-Delhi ties to a greater height through frequent meetings and broader engagements on priorities and matters of mutual concern.
“We should meet frequently so as to better understand each other’s priorities, perspectives and concerns and thereby take our relations to greater heights in the future,” he quoted.
“For us, Bangladesh is not merely a neighbour, but a nation with which we share history, culture, civilisation and enduring links between people,” Modi wrote.
“The emotional bonds of Bangladesh’s birth as an independent nation and the ideals of democracy, secularism, pluralism and the rule of law also serve as a link between India and Bangladesh”.
“I’m delighted to accept your kind invitation to visit Bangladesh. I also take this opportunity to extend an invitation to you to visit India at your earliest convenience,” he wrote.
Swaraj arrived in Dhaka last night in her first visit to any country after taking over as India's external affairs minister and had a bilateral meeting with her counterpart Ali and met Hasina.