Statement on Arrival of Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs H. E. Shri K.Natwar Singh on 6th August 2005
It gives me great pleasure to be here in Dhaka. This is my first visit and I have long looked forward to visiting this historic capital.
2. I have come at the invitation of my esteemed colleague and dear friend, Hon’ble Foreign Minister Morshed Khan. I am very happy to be able to reciprocate his visits to Delhi. My visit to Dhaka is part of our ongoing dialogue with our important and valued neighbour, Bangladesh.
3. I look forward to conveying the warm and cordial greetings of the Indian leadership to Her Excellency the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. We look forward to an early visit to India by the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
4. I shall be calling on the leader of the opposition and meeting other senior Bangladeshi leaders.
5. The Government of India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Bangladesh. During my meetings in Dhaka I will reaffirm this commitment and reiterate our willingness to continue and further the process of sustained and constructive engagement, for the mutual benefit of our peoples. I will discuss the SAARC agenda.
6. I shall have extensive talks with my counterpart, Foreign Minister Morshed Khan. We will review the existing state of our bilateral relations and explore how we can further deepen and enlarge their scope. While we will address those issues on which we have differing perceptions we will focus on the enormous untapped potential for the mutual benefit of our peoples.
7. The Government and the people of India remain steadfast in their support to the people of Bangladesh and to promote our good relations, peace and mutual prosperity. In this era of globalisation India is also committed to friendly cooperation with Bangladesh in the regional and multilateral fora.
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