Swaraj speaks to Mamata

Ahead of her visit to Bangladesh, Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has spoken with West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The two leaders discussed issues like Teesta River’s water sharing and land boundary agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh, which Banerjee has prevented Delhi from going ahead. ‘The discussions lasted for 35 minutes and was cordial,’ said an official of the Indian ministry of external affairs. But the official was not prepared to discuss detail. A formal briefing on Sushma Swaraj’s Bangladesh trip and other foreign policy issues is due in the ministry on Wednesday evening. Swaraj is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Wednesday night on a 3-day tour. The tour is characterised as a courtesy visit, so no agreements are likely to be signed, but Swaraj will reiterate India’s sovereign commitments on Teesta water sharing and the LBA, according to bdnews24.com.