Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bangladesh on 27 March for his first in-person summit after the pandemic with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reported Daily Star.

Prior to the summit, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Bangladesh. Both countries have plans for holding four secretaries’ level meet for finalizing multiple agreements to be signed during the summit. The report said officials from both countries were working on four to five memorandum of understandings.

The visit by Modi comes in the year when both countries are jointly celebrating Bangladesh’s 50th year of independence. Bangladesh is observing the year as the birth centenary year of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. India had midwifed the birth of Bangladesh in 1971 after a war with Pakistan.

Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Momin held discussions with his Indian counterpart Harsh V Shringla in New Delhi. Momin said both countries have the potential to enhance bilateral trade. Currently, the bilateral trade is over $1 billion.

To boost cross border trade  through land and waterways, Bangladesh has requested India for transit permits to Nepal and Bhutan. The country also hopes for early operationalization of the Motor Vehicle Agreement which includes Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

The countries are also in discussion for water-sharing agreements. Momin also informed they were working on resuming tourist and student visas.