India and Bangladesh on Tuesday signed a water-sharing agreement and six other pacts, including ones on space technology and scientific collaboration, aimed at boosting ties between the two countries, as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, heading a high-level delegation, arrived here on a four day visit. The agreement will benefit southern parts of Assam state in India and the Sylhet region in Bangladesh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a joint press conference with Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of bilateral talks. Modi said that trade between the two countries is rapidly increasing. "We have decided to extend cooperation in the IT, space and nuclear sectors," Modi said. Later, Sheikh Hasina met Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi on Tuesday. Murmu, who said bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh have grown immensely and have always been guided by the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust, welcomed the Bangladeshi leader at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Murmu noted that the two countries are connected by shared history, language and culture and assured that India will continue to be a reliable partner in the development journey of its neighbor. But a much-anticipated agreement on another river remained at an impasse. Meanwhile, Hasina has announced the Mujib Scholarship for the direct descendants of the Indian soldiers killed or grievously injured in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The awards will be conferred on Wednesday, she said. The award is named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina's father. Hasina also said that as long as Modi is around, New Delhi and Dhaka would find a solution to all bilateral problems. She added: "With friendship, you can solve any problem. So, we always do that." Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met Sheikh Hasina here. The Congress leader said the two leaders had a fruitful discussion on a number of issues. The meeting took place at Hotel ITC Maurya. Hasina, who last visited the country in 2019, was received at the airport by Union Minister Darshana Jardosh and held bilateral talks with Modi on Tuesday. India and Bangladesh on Tuesday signed seven agreements and MoUs. The agreements are in the areas of water sharing, training of Bangladesh Railway personnel, collaboration in IT systems for Bangladesh Railway, and capacity building program for Bangladesh judicial officers, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office. They also cover cooperation in the areas of scientific research and technology, space and broadcasting. Hasina met Modi and held delegation level talks that touched upon several issues of bilateral and regional importance. Various issues including energy, water resources, trade and investment, border management, security, climate change and other regional and global concerns also came up for discussion. Modi stated: "Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and I had a discussion on various bilateral, regional and international issues. We need to take lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent global happenings and must strengthen our economy." He also underlined the importance of Indian market for Bangladesh. "Across Asia, India is the biggest market for exports from Bangladesh. To further expedite this progress, we will soon initiate discussions on a bilateral economic comprehensive partnership agreement." On the cultural ties, Modi said, "There are 54 rivers that pass through the Indo-Bangladesh border, and have been linked to the livelihood of the people of both countries for centuries. These rivers, which have seen folk write stories about them and also folk songs being written about them, have also been a witness to the shared cultural heritage," he added. Both the sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in the fight against terrorism and fundamentalism. Hasina applauded the leadership of Modi saying it has added an impetus to the bilateral ties. She expressed hope that remaining issues shall be resolved soon. India and Bangladesh share around 4.000 km... long international border and there are no tension as land boundary has been amicably settled with the ratification of Land Boundary Agreement in 2015. Bangladesh PM also had discussed several important issues with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. — Agencies
