External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladeshi Prime Minister offered her country’s main seaport – Chittagong Port – to India’s north eastern states like Assam and Tripura to enhance connectivity between the two neighbours.

Jaishankar, who arrived here on Thursday on a brief official visit, also handed over an invitation to Hasina on her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi's behalf to visit New Delhi.

Jaishankar tweeted through his official Twitter handle "Thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her warm reception. Conveyed personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Our bilateral relations are moving from strength to strength under the guidance of the two leaders".

During the meeting, Prime Minister Hasina said that the two countries have to increase the connectivity further, her press secretary Ihsanul Karim told PTI.

She told Jaishankar that the enhanced connectivity was needed for mutual benefit while it would particularly benefit India's northeastern region in using Bangladesh's south eastern Chittagong port, Karim said.

"If the connectivity is increased, the Indian north eastern states -like Assam and Tripura- can have access to the seaport in Chattogram," she said.

The Bangladesh premier noted that the initiative was taken to resume cross-border routes between Bangladesh and India which were stopped during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, when Bangladesh was eastern wing of Pakistan.

Karim said a number of bilateral and international issues were discussed during Prime Minister Hasina's more than half an hour long meeting with Jaishankar.

Jaishankar later held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen and then jointly briefed the media.

"Dr. Momen and @DrSJaishankar discussed the bilateral issues between Bangladesh and India. They expressed satisfaction about the ongoing Bangladesh-India cooperation, vowed to further strengthen the bilateral ties, stressed on regional stability for socio-economic development as a whole," the Bangladesh foreign ministry tweeted.

Image source:  ANI