New Delhi: Underscoring the strong ties between India and Bangladesh, Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Muhammad Hasan Mahmud said that Sheikh Hasina has expressed her willingness to work with the new government in the future to strengthen the ties, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as India’s Prime Minister for a third consecutive term.
Sheikh Hasina was invited to the oath-taking ceremony that took place on Sunday (June 9) at Rashtrapati Bhavan here in the national capital. “…PM Sheikh Hasina attended the oath-taking ceremony (of PM Modi and the council of ministers) and after that, she had a one-to-one meeting with PM Narendra Modi, where she again congratulated him and the NDA for winning the elections. She expresses her willingness to work with the new government in future to strengthen the ties,” Hasan Mahmud told ANI.
He further highlighted that the relationship between the two nations has reached a “new height” under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi. “She has also invited PM Modi to visit Bangladesh,” he noted. “As a neighbour, we have many opportunities; we have to strengthen our people-to-people contact, in terms of connectivity, we have to work more because it gives benefits to both Bangladesh and India…” the Foreign Minister added.
PM Hasina arrived in India on Saturday afternoon and was the first foreign leader to arrive here for the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi. She was one of the distinguished guests invited to New Delhi to attend the much-awaited ceremony. Secretary (CPV & OIA), Muktesh Pardeshi received Prime Minister Hasina at the airport.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unanimously passed a resolution to elect Narendra Modi as their leader on June 5. BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the 543-member lower house of the Indian parliament. BJP, which won resounding majorities of 282 seats in 2014 and 303 seats in 2019, fell short of the majority mark (272) on its own this time.
PM Modi is the second Indian leader to win a third consecutive term after founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. India and Bangladesh enjoy warm ties, which have further expanded under the leadership of PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina. PM Modi was one of the first leaders to congratulate Hasina after she won the general elections in January this year.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate PM Modi. He invited PM Hasina to the oath ceremony, which was accepted by the Bangladesh PM. PM Modi’s invitation to neighbouring leaders reflects India’s ongoing efforts to engage with countries in the region. In 2014, he convened leaders from SAARC nations, and in 2019, he invited countries from the BIMSTEC group.
