Foreign Minister Jaishankar Arrives in Bangladesh to Strengthen 'Special' Bilateral Ties

Dhaka: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday arrived in Bangladesh to strengthen the "special" bilateral ties between the two neighbours.

On his arrival at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka from New Delhi, the minister was received by his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen, the Indian High Commission here tweeted. "Bangladesh is an important partner for India and a central pillar of the 'Neighbourhood First' policy," it said.

This is Jaishankar's first visit to Bangladesh after taking over the charge of External Affairs Minister.

Speaking to the media on arrival, the minister said: "he is looking forward to his stay in Dhaka and is hoping to hold productive and engaging discussions on strengthening the special India Bangladesh relationship".

The visit is the second high ministerial interaction between the two sides in less than a month. Earlier on August 7-8, Bangladesh's Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan held a bilateral meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

Jaishankar, who is on a two-day tour, will start his visit by paying respect to Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Tuesday morning at the 'Bangabandhu Museum' in Dhanmondi.

This was the personal residence of the architect of Bangladesh where he was assassinated along with most of his family members in 1975. His daughters -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana — survived as they were abroad at that time.

Jaishankar will then hold a meeting with his counterpart Momen. He will meet Prime Minister Hasina in the afternoon.