Indian defence minister due this month

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will pay a two-day visit to Dhaka from November 30 to chalk out a major upgrade in bilateral defence cooperation, The Times of India reported yesterday.

Quoting unnamed government sources, the daily said a new defence cooperation framework would be discussed during Parrikar's two-day visit to Bangladesh and the framework will lead to escalated military supplies, transfer of technologies, training and joint exercises as well as closer cooperation in counter-terrorism.

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"It is likely to be inked when Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina visits India in December. Incidentally, Parrikar will be the first Indian defence minister to visit Bangladesh in years," the newspaper said quoting the sources.

India is trying to counter China's inroads into its neighbourhood, ranging from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal. Apart from supplying air defence guns, radars and mine-protected vehicles to Sri Lanka, for instance, India is also constructing two naval offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the island nation now.

"Similarly, India can supply OPVs to Bangladesh through innovative financing mechanisms. The training of Bangladeshi personnel in Indian military establishments will also be increased under the overall capacity-building," said the source, according to The Times of India.

The sixth edition of the India-Bangladesh joint military exercise, "Sampriti", is currently underway in Bangladesh.