Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Bangladesh on a two-day visit to the nation, his first visit abroad since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year.

The PM was welcomed by his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. The prime minister had on Thursday said he will hold substantive discussions with Sheikh Hasina during the visit, as he expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the Covid-19 pandemic will be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday went from Delhi to Dhaka on a new custom-made VVIP aircraft, using it for the first time on a foreign journey. The B777 aircraft, which has registration number VT-ALW, was delivered by Boeing to the Indian government in October last year. The aircraft, which has call sign AI1 or Air India One, departed from Delhi around 8 am and landed at the Dhaka airport around 10.30 am on Friday, government officials said.

India and Bangladesh are likely to ink at least five Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the country to attend the celebrations of the golden jubilee of its independence and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

India and Bangladesh are likely to sign at least five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the country to attend the celebration of the golden jubilee of its independence and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Bangladesh from March 26 to 27 during which he will also hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"The number of MoUs could be more or lessbut five plus (instruments are likely to be signed)," Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen said.

The two countries were still in negotiations over the number of MoUs to be signed after PM Modi's bilateral meeting with his counterpart Hasina on Saturday.

PM Modi will land at the Dhaka airport on Friday morning. After which, he is scheduled to go to the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar to pay tributes to the 1971 Liberation War the martyrs.

Shortly afterwards, he will visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32, originally the Bangladesh founder's private residence, to pay homage to his memories.

Later, PM Modi will join the celebratory event as the guest of honour at the National Parade Square.Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid will be the chief guest at the function, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Hasina.

In the evening, he is scheduled to inaugurate the 'Bangabandhu-Bapu Museum' jointly with his counterpart at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

He will also attend a state banquet hosted in his honour by Hasina.

On Saturday, PM Modi will visit the mausoleum of 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara in Gopalganj district, the first Indian dignitary to ever visit the place.

He is also scheduled to visit the Jeshoreshwari and Orkandi temples in southwestern Shatkhira and Gopalganj on Saturday.

In the afternoon, PM Modi will hold talks with Hasina at the Prime Minister’s Office, where the MoUs are to be signed and a number of projects inaugurated virtually.

Later, he will meet President Md Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban presidential palace before leaving for New Delhi in the evening.

This is PM Modi's first trip to a foreign country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

His visit is taking place at a time Bangladesh is commemorating Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of the country's war of liberation. The two countries are also celebrating 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering have already attended the 10-day special programme, which began on March 17, coinciding with Bangabandhu’s birthday.

Several global leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sent video messages on the occasion.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller is scheduled to read out a letter from President Joe Biden virtually on Friday, at the final grand ceremony at National Parade Square, to be joined by Prime Minister Narednra Modi.

Source: India Today