New Delhi: India offered a $4.5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh on Saturday to help it
implement projects in priority areas such as the energy sector, and a separate $500 million credit line to support defense related procurements.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi made the announcements after a meeting with his Bangladesh counter part Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India. This is her first bilateral visit to India in seven years after her visit in 2010.
India, Bangladesh to step up anti-terror cooperation
India and Bangladesh resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation with PM Modi terming spread of radicalism as a "grave threat", not only to the two countries but to the entire region.
"We have the greatest admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm resolve in dealing with terrorism. Her government's 'zero-tolerance' policy towards terrorism is an inspiration for all of us," said Modi at a joint media event with Hasina.
Modi confident on Teesta
Modi expressed firm belief that there will be an early solution to the issue of sharing waters of the Teesta river with Bangladesh.
"Along with our shared land boundaries are our shared rivers," Modi said while jointly addressing the media with Hasina following bilateral talks.
"They sustain our peoples and their livelihoods. And, the one that has attracted the greatest attention is the Teesta," he said.
India and Bangladesh signed 22 agreements following Saturday's talks.
New trains
A new passenger service between Khulna and Kolkata and a goods train between Radhikapur and Birol stations were flagged off by Modi and Hasina in New Delhi through video link.
The introduction of the passenger train service is expected to boost travel between the two neighboring countries.
Modi targets Pakistan
Hasina felicitated families of martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War at a ceremony in Delhi.
“India's doors are always open for cooperation, but for that Pakistan has to shun terrorism,” Modi said at the event.
"There is one thought in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The thought whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism," Modi said, without naming Pakistan.
Speaking at the event, Hasina said, the history of Bangladesh has been written with the blood of Indian martyrs along with valiant freedom fighters of Bangladesh.
"They fought together for the independence of Bangladesh. The story of their sacrifice will be remembered from generation to generation in our two countries," she said.
Modi, Hasina asked to 'step down'
An innocuous comment by the chief protocol officer anchoring a ceremony on signing of MoUs between the two countries left almost everyone at the event in splits.
"May I now request the two prime ministers to step down,” the officer said. What he meant was to request Modi and Hasina to come down from a raised platform and release a Hindi translation of unfinished memoirs of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
(With inputs from agencies)