By: LakshmiPS
A possible meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 8 is unlikely now, according to official sources here on Monday.
The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported Monday that Prime Minister Hasina, on her way back home after wrapping up her tri-nation visit to Japan, Saudi Arabia and Finland, could make a 12-hour stopover in New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Modi.
However, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka said that the meeting is not likely to take place due to some changes in her schedule.
“She (Prime Minister Hasina) was scheduled to have a 12-hour stopover in New Delhi. But it is being changed and under a revised decision, the premier will directly return home from Helsinki without a stopover in Delhi,” a senior foreign ministry official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
His comments came when asked about the media reports about Hasina’s possible meeting with Modi to greet him following his landslide victory in the general elections.
Prime Minister Modi on Thursday led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landmark victory for a second five-year term in office, winning 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
Hasina leaves for Tokyo on Tuesday, from where she will go to Saudi Arabia. On June 3, she will depart Jeddah for Helsinki, Finland, via Frankfurt. On June 7, she will leave Helsinki for Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Prime Minister Modi following his election victory, reflecting the “extraordinarily close and cordial ties” between India and Bangladesh, and the excellent rapport that the two leaders enjoy.
She also spoke to Modi on Thursday and said this “emphatic verdict is a reflection of the trust and confidence reposed on you by the people of the world’s largest democracy.”
(PTI)
