NEW DELHI: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Thursday for a visit during which she is expected to sign agreements on increasing trade and investment and improving regional connectivity.
Hasina will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and is also scheduled to address a World Economic forum meeting during her four-day visit.
Hasina is also expected to seek support for her country’s plan to push Myanmar to take back Rohingya Muslims who fled violence and repression there in what has become one of Asia’s largest refugee crises in decades. Bangladesh is looking for cooperation from India, China and Japan to speed up the process.
While Bangladesh has taken the vast majority of Rohingya refugees — more than 700,000 — an estimated 40,000 Rohingya also have taken refuge in parts of India.
Dilip Sinha, a retired Indian diplomat who has served in Bangladesh, said India and Bangladesh should join hands in resolving this issue with Myanmar.
“Both will benefit from such a cooperation,” Sinha said.
The two nations will also likely discuss their own migrant issues.
India has recently sought to identify thousands of what it says are “illegal migrants” from Bangladesh who have entered India across their porous border over the years. India plans to seek their repatriation to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen recently described the issue as “a matter of great concern.”
Bangladesh also is concerned over India’s delay in signing an agreement on the sharing of water from the Teesta river, which flows from India into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh says it is a lower riparian state and needs Teesta river water during the lean summer season.
The agreement has been pending since it was nearly signed in 2011 as it has been blocked by India’s West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Banerjee has said the state can’t spare water for Bangladesh because of its summer needs.
Bangladesh PM in India to sign trade, investment accords
Bangladesh PM in India to sign trade, investment accords
- Hasina will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday
- She is also scheduled to address a World Economic forum meeting
Talks underway with Saudi Arabia on higher oil flows: Pakistani oil minister
RIYADH: Pakistan is in talks with Saudi Arabia to increase the flow of petroleum products to the country in order to serve shared economic interests and secure Islamabad’s growing energy needs, Pakistani Oil Minister Ali Pervaiz told Al-Eqtisadiah.
Pervaiz said that Pakistan, as a net energy importer with a bill ranging between $15 billion and $20 billion, seeks to strengthen its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia in the energy and mining sectors and looks forward to benefiting from the Kingdom’s vast hydrocarbon potential.
Speaking on the sidelines of his participation in the Future Minerals Forum hosted in Riyadh, the minister said the timing of the event is ideal given the pivotal stage the world is going through and the rising demand for vital minerals amid ongoing technological development.
He noted that the conference represents a vital platform for discussing opportunities to establish new mines and mobilize the capital needed to operate them, particularly as production from existing mines declines and price volatility increases due to global conflicts, making international cooperation an urgent necessity for the stability of this vital sector.
Regarding bilateral relations, Pervaiz stressed that ties between Riyadh and Islamabad have reached unprecedented levels of strength and depth, citing the numerous meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which he said have exceeded 12 since Sharif took office three years ago.
He added that there is a clear governmental mandate for working groups in both countries to build a comprehensive framework for economic cooperation, with a particular focus on the mining sector, which he described as one of the main pillars of future projects currently under review.
The minister said Pakistan is expecting to host a high-level Saudi delegation at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026, scheduled for April, noting that the event is expected to see the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at advancing cooperation in geological studies and mining sector development.
He added that work is underway with the Saudi side to implement tangible projects on the ground, strengthening the existing partnership, which spans multiple areas, including ongoing defense cooperation, further consolidating the two countries’ position as strategic partners in the region.
