Indian defence minister flies in today

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar arrives in Dhaka today on a two-day visit to bolster defence cooperation initiatives ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India next month.

Diplomatic sources said Parrikar would discuss with government high-ups, including the premier, to firm up a proposed framework of bilateral defence cooperation deal expected to be signed during Hasina's visit likely in the third week of December.

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This is going to be the first-ever visit to Bangladesh by an Indian defence minister in last 45 years and is also seen to counter Chinese growing strategic footprints in Bangladesh. However, officials in Dhaka have ruled out any link between the visit and supply of two Chinese submarines to Bangladesh.

Indian media made a series of reports since Bangladesh received the submarines, considering it as a development indicative of increasing footprints of Beijing in India's immediate neighbourhood, especially in the Indian Ocean, which is an area of domination of the Indian armed forces.

The Indian defence minister would lead a powerful delegation that includes the vice chiefs of army, air force, navy and the director general of Coast Guard.

Parrikar is expected to arrive in Dhaka at 11:00am by a special Indian Air Force plane and would call on President Abdul Hamid and meet Security Adviser to the Prime Minister Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui, diplomatic sources told The Daily Star.

He is scheduled to fly to Chittagong tomorrow to visit the Bangladesh Military Academy. Upon his return to Dhaka, he along with his accompanying delegation would call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who also holds the defence portfolio, for the crucial meeting before flying back to India.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at Gono Bhaban at 4:00pm.

The visits of Parrikar to Bangladesh and Hasina to India are being considered highly important in the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping's October 14-15 visit to Bangladesh when the two countries inked at least 27 deals involving about $25 billion.

Earlier on May 28-30, Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan along with a 39-member high-powered defence delegation visited Bangladesh.

The outline of the framework of defence cooperation agreement is expected to dominate the discussion between Hasina and Parrikar, reports our Delhi Correspondent quoting Indian official sources.

The proposed defence deal envisages enhanced military hardware supply, technology transfer and joint exercise and providing training to Bangladesh military.

Parrikar is likely to offer building offshore patrol vessel to Bangladesh and propose holding of regular military exercises between the two sides, they added.

Assessment in New Delhi is that the defence cooperation agreement framework, if signed, would be an “important breakthrough” in Bangladesh-India ties after the historic implementation of the land boundary deal by the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June 2015.

Another key focus during Hasina's visit to India would be on the defence personnel as she would present awards and financial assistance to the families of Indian soldiers who made supreme sacrifice during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.