Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's statement on the eve of his departure to Bangladesh

I will be visiting Bangladesh tomorrow at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Her Excellency Ms. Sheikh Hasina. This will be my first bilateral visit to Bangladesh.

We attach the highest importance to further developing and strengthening our relations with Bangladesh. Our relations with Bangladesh are rooted in history, culture and the struggle for freedom. Both our countries share common democratic values and development aspirations.

During the visit, I will be accompanied by the Chief Ministers of all the Northeast States neighbouring Bangladesh. This reflects our desire to have across the board engagement with Bangladesh, so that the fruits of our cooperation are available to people on both sides of the border.

Our two countries are today witnessing an extraordinary period of cooperation and friendship. My visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress achieved in the implementation of the decisions taken during the historic visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in 2010. It is a matter of satisfaction that we have made concrete progress in several areas such as security, boundary issues, water resources, power connectivity, improvement of border infrastructure, trade facilitation and economic cooperation. Our endeavour will be to sustain and build upon this positive momentum.

I expect my visit to lead to greater cooperation between India and Bangladesh in all these areas. We also expect to conclude concrete agreements which will help us to elevate the level of our cooperation in the traditional areas of cooperation and to develop cooperation in new areas.

During my visit, I will call on the President of Bangladesh His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Zillur Rahman, and meet the leaders of other political parties in Bangladesh. I look forward to addressing a cross-section of Bangladeshi society at the Dhaka University.

As a close neighbour and friend, India is committed to extending its full support to Bangladesh in its development efforts. Our partnership with Bangladesh is important for the stability and prosperity of own Northeast region. It is a partnership which can have a profound positive impact on the South Asian region as a whole.