Hasina-Modi talks in Delhi on Oct 5: Momen

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on October 5 during her first India visit after coming to power for the third consecutive term from October 3 to 6.

"Honorable Prime Minister will attend the Indian Economic Forum from Oct 3 to 4 and then hold the bilateral meeting on Oct 5," Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen said here today.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh will raise a number of bilateral issues during the talks of the two prime ministers in Delhi. He didn't specify any issue.

Prior this, he said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hold a brief meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York this month.

Currently, he said, Bangladesh and India are enjoying best ever bilateral relations.

Momen was exchanging views with senior journalists and diplomatic correspondents at a luncheon, hosted by Bangladesh's ambassador-designate to China Mahbub Uz Zaman in the UNCLOS conference room of the foreign ministry.

Chief Editor and Managing Director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Abul Kalam Azad, Editor in Chief of ETV Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, General Secretary of National Press Club Farida Yasmin, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta and Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director Mozammel Haque Babu were present among the senior journalists.

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the foreign minister said Bangladesh has achieved the fastest growth in the Asia-Pacific economies of 45 countries while Spectator Index-2019 said Bangladesh has topped in the world in achieving the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in last 10 years since 2009.

"The Bangladesh average economic growth was only 3.2 percent from 1976 to 1990, which is 6.8 percent in last 10 years … this is amazing," he said adding, "Our main success is to sustain the high rate of economic growth in last 10 years."

Focusing on various initiatives to serve the expatriate Bangladeshis, the minister said his ministry introduced a mobile apps named 'Dutabash' to provide 34 different services from a single platform.

Momen said he had instructed all Bangladesh missions abroad to maintain good relations with the Bangladeshi community in their respective countries. "We are taking immediate actions against our officials abroad whenever we get any complaints from expatriate Bangladeshis," he added.

He said the foreign ministry has taken initiatives for issuing National Identification (NID) cards abroad to the expatriate Bangladeshis with the help of the Election Commission.

"We are trying to do as much as possible for ensuring services to them in an easy and hassle free way," he said.