Foreign secy likely to visit Dhaka on Dec 10 for talks

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri is expected to visit Bangladesh next week for consultations, the first trip to Dhaka by a senior Indian functionary since the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power in August, people familiar with the matter said. Though both sides are yet to make an official announcement about the visit, Misri is likely to be in Bangladesh on December 10 for the annual foreign office consultations, people familiar with preparations for the trip in both capitals said on condition of anonymity. The visit by the foreign secretary was decided on at a meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, the people said. Matters such as the resumption of India-funded development projects, easing of the visa regime, more direct flights, and trade and investment are expected to figure in the proposed foreign office consultations, the people said.