Momen flies to Delhi this week to attend JCC meet

Also to kick off preparations for Hasina's upcoming visit to India
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will visit Delhi this week for a Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting to kick off the preparations for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in September or October this year.
The JCC is expected to be held on or around June 18, according to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting, to be held after two years, will be co-chaired by the Bangladesh and Indian Foreign Ministers and will focus on issues including connectivity, river water sharing, investments, post-Covid issues and security partnership.
"These are all parts of preparations for the Prime Minister's visit to Delhi," said a Foreign Ministry official, adding that during his visit to Bangladesh in March last year, Indian PM Narendra Modi invited Hasina to visit India this year.
This visit is expected to further accelerate the friendship between the two countries that are celebrating the 50 years of diplomatic relationship this year, the official added.
Last month, when Momen met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in
Guwahati, he sought suggestions to import crude oil from Russia by managing sanctions as Bangladesh is also keen to ensure energy security.
New Delhi has invested a lot in its relationship with Dhaka, which both sides have been eager to point out as the "golden era" or "Sonali Adhyay" in ties.
Jaishankar was in Dhaka in April, as last year both Indian President and Prime Ministers were in the country despite the Covid crisis to attend the 50 years of diplomatic relation of Bangladesh, while also commemorating the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Later this year Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina is expected to be in Delhi.
The last JCC meeting was held virtually in September 2020. The two countries have also launched several connectivity initiatives, including the revival of rail links that were halted after the 1965 India-Pakistan war and river routes that provide access to Bangladeshi ports for north-eastern states. Bangladesh is emerging as a connectivity link between Northeast India and Southeast Asia after connectivity through Myanmar came to standstill following the 2021 coup.
Besides trade and connectivity, the other issues that are expected to figure in the JCC meeting are security matters, development cooperation, and consular and cultural issues.
The two sides are also expected to discuss ways to increase train services and flights to facilitate the large number of Bangladeshi travellers who come to India for tourism and medical treatment.
Jaishankar was in Dhaka in April and last year both the President and Prime Minister visited Dhaka despite the Covid-19 crisis to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, while also commemorating the birth centenary of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.