'Chief ministers of all northeast Indian states invited to Dhaka'

Dhaka has invited seven chief ministers of India's northeast to visit Bangladesh to help further improve connectivity and trade with the Seven Sisters and India as a whole, reports The Daily Star.

"We requested the Indian Minister of Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy to visit Bangladesh along with all the chief ministers of the northeast at least for three days. They can also be accompanied by high profile officials and business representatives," said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.

He made the comments during a roundtable organised by the Editors Guild of Bangladesh on the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India at a city hotel on Saturday.

Taking part in the discussion, Shahriar Alam said the invitation to the seven chief ministers of India's Northeast was agreed upon and now it will have to be formally extended through the India's Ministry of External Affairs.

"Our PM said we are waiting for the visit," he said.

Shahriar Alam said it is time to go for second phase of economic development, and Bangladesh is ready to contribute to the process.

He said Indian Minister Kishan Reddy put forward several proposals during PM's visit to Delhi and PM Hasina agreed to implement some of them.

The state minister said PM's visit to India was the best in the last 14 years, with both countries showing reciprocity in terms of their common and mutual interests.

Dhaka University International Relations Prof Amena Mohsin, BRAC University Professor Emeritus and water expert Dr Ainun Nishat, former Ambassador Munshi Faiz Ahmad, Policy Research Institute Executive Director Ahsan H Mansur took part in the discussion on Saturday.

Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyama Dutta, Ekattor Television Editor-in-Chief Mozammel Babu, and Indian journalists – Kallol Bhattacherjee of The Hindu; Agni Roy of Anandabazar Patrika; Mohua Chatterjee of Times of India and Devadeep Purohit of Telegraph also spoke at the event.