Bharat has decided to call off the planned visit of its Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, to Bangladesh this weekend. The visit was aimed at assessing the state of bilateral relations and laying the groundwork for an upcoming visit to New Delhi by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, according to sources familiar with the matter.
No specific reasons were provided for the postponement of the visit, and there has been no indication of when it might be rescheduled. The cancellation comes despite Kwatra’s scheduled meetings with his Bangladeshi counterparts, Masud Bin Momen and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, during his proposed one-day trip on April 20.
The situation in Myanmar, where the ruling junta has faced significant setbacks against resistance forces, was anticipated to be a topic of discussion during Kwatra’s meetings in Bangladesh. The Bharatiya delegation would have been the second high-level visit from Bharat to Bangladesh since Prime Minister Hasina’s reelection earlier this year, following a trip by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in February.
One of the sources mentioned that there exists an open invitation for Prime Minister Hasina to visit Bharat, and Kwatra’s visit to Dhaka was intended to help finalize plans for that visit. The discussions between Kwatra and his Bangladeshi counterparts were expected to cover a range of bilateral issues and future cooperation endeavors.
Prime Minister Hasina is unlikely to visit New Delhi before the conclusion of India’s general election in early June. Following her potential visit to Bharat, she also plans to visit China. Kwatra’s visit was seen as crucial in paving the way for Hasina’s trip to New Delhi, which is expected to take place in late June or early July.
There were hints of a potential meeting between Kwatra and Prime Minister Hasina during the canceled visit. Apart from bilateral matters, the discussions were expected to address the security challenges arising from the situation in Myanmar, where resistance forces have seized control of key border areas and military bases, affecting neighboring countries like Bharat and Bangladesh.
The ongoing developments in Myanmar have necessitated close cooperation between Bharat and Bangladesh to address the security concerns emanating from the conflict. Both countries have had to manage the influx of Myanmarese troops fleeing the fighting and maintain stability along their shared borders amidst the turmoil in Myanmar.
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