PM Hasina welcomes Modi at Dhaka airport

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Dhaka today on a two-day official visit to take part in the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh's independence and Mujib Borsho – birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed the Indian premier at the VVIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 11:00am this morning.

Red carpet was rolled out to welcome the Indian PM while he was given guard of honour.

Earlier in the morning, Narendra Modi left New Delhi for Dhaka on a special flight.

"PM @narendramodi emplanes for Dhaka. During his Bangladesh visit he will take part in a wide range of programmes aimed at furthering cooperation with our friendly neighbour," the India PMO tweeted, sharing a picture of Modi boarding the aircraft, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Modi yesterday said he will hold substantive discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during the visit and expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties.

"The first visit by the PM since pandemic outbreak highlights the priority India attaches to Bangladesh," said the Indian External Affairs Ministry in a tweet.

"Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighbourhood First Policy, and we are committed to further deepen and diversify it. We will continue to support Bangladesh's remarkable development journey, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership," Modi tweeted last night, ahead of his Dhaka visit.

The Indian PM will pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar today, and then visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in the capital to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In the afternoon, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will call on the Indian premier at Hotel Sonargaon.

Modi will also deliver a speech at celebrations at the National Parade Square this afternoon.

In the evening, PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart will visit Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Tomorrow, Modi will visit Bangabandhu's mausoleum in Gopalganj's Tungipara and visit two temples -- Jashoreshwari Kali Temple in Shyamnagar of Satkhira and the other at Gopalganj's Orakandi, the birthplace of Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua community.

In the afternoon, the two premiers will hold a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, according to the schedule of Narendra Modi's visit.

They will also inaugurate two commemorative stamps, marking the 50 years of diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and India.

The two prime ministers will also inaugurate projects, including Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum, Swadhinata Sarak- a road connecting India from Mujibnagar in Meherpur, and a passenger train on Chilahati-Haldibari rail route.

Indian PM Modi will hand over 109 ambulances and 12 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine as gifts to Bangladesh.

Modi will also call on President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban before flying back to India tomorrow evening.

Minister Momen said some MoUs will also be signed during the meeting, but he did not disclose the details.