Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina exchanged the documents on ratification of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) at the latter’s office in Dhaka on Saturday.
“History is made as the Instruments of Ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement are exchanged,” the visiting Indian prime minister tweeted immediately after the LBA ratification documents were exchanged on Saturday afternoon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present during the document exchange ceremony.
“History has been made today. We have resolved the border question that has lingered for years. We have not merely settled a boundary, we have made our borders more secure & made our people's lives more stable,” Modi’s Facebook post said immediately after the documents of the LBA was exchanged.
“The visit is at a historic moment. We have resolved a question that has lingered since Independence. Our two nations have a settled boundary. It will make our borders more secure and people's life there more stable,” Modi said while addressing a joint press briefing at Hasina's office on Saturday.
“Our Parliament's approval of Land Boundary Agreement reflects the consensus in India on relations with Bangladesh,” he said.
“We accepted the settlement of the maritime boundary last year. It is evidence of the maturity of our ties and our shared commitment to international rules,” said Modi.
Earlier in the day, Sheikh Hasina, Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the bus services on the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati routes.
Later, Modi held a meeting with Mamata Banerjee at his place of residence. He also sat at a tete-a-tete prior to official talks with Sheikh Hasina around 4:00pm.
Modi will also attend a state banquet where he will be served vegetarian dishes.
Earlier in the morning a special aircraft carrying the Indian premier and the members of his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:15am Saturday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received Modi at the airport. He is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Delhi on Sunday.
BBN/AI