Happy My 1st Foreign Visit After Covid Onset is to Friendly Neighbour Bangladesh: PM Modi
News 18Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he will hold “substantive discussions” with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his two-day visit to Bangladesh, as he expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic would be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties. Modi said he will be visiting Bangladesh on March 26-27 at the invitation of Prime Minister Hasina, and looks forward to his participation at the Bangladesh National Day celebrations on Friday. In his departure statement, he said, “I am happy that my first foreign visit after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic will be to our friendly neighbouring country, with which India shares deep cultural, linguistic and people-to-people ties.” Noting that Bangladesh’s National Day celebrations on Friday will commemorate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Modi said ‘Bangabandhu’ was one of the tallest leaders of the last century, whose life and ideals continue to inspire millions. The two prime ministers held a virtual summit on December 17 during which Modi said Bangladesh is a key pillar of New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, while Hasina described India as a “true friend” and asserted that both countries could play a significant role in the global and regional value chains by further integrating their economies as well as boosting connectivity.