India wants to resolve issues thru\\\' talks: Swaraj

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said New Delhi is looking forward to very positive and growing relations with Bangladesh. ‘We also want to solve all bilateral issues with Bangladesh once for all through a cordial discussion,’ she said. The Indian external affairs minister said this when she paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the morning. After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shamim Chowdhury briefed reporters. PM’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury was present on the occasion. Shamim Chowdhury said the visiting Indian external affairs minister handed over a special invitation letter of Indian Preme Minister Narendra Modi to Sheikh Hasina inviting the Bangladesh Premier to visit India. ‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi is eager to see that Bangladesh Premier visits India very soon,’ Swaraj said. In response, Sheikh Hasina extended her invitation to Narendra Modi to visit Bangladesh through the Indian external affairs minister. During the meeting, the Prime Minister Hasina put emphasis on solving bilateral issues with India including Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and Teesta water sharing quickly. In response, the Indian external affairs minister said the LBA Bill has already been placed in the Lok Sabha and it is under active consideration of her government. Sushma Swaraj informed that before heading for Dhaka, she talked to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. ‘The West Bengal Chief Minister sent her good wishes to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, hoping that things would move positively,’ she said. Sheikh Hasina also underscored the need for speeding up the work of 1320-MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat. She also called for simplification of visa procedure for the elderly people aged over 65 who mainly go to India for treatment and the students below 18 years, according to BSS.