NEW DELHI, Feb 09, 2024 (BSS) - Indian President Droupadi Murmu today acclaimed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for being one of the longest serving women leaders globally and forming the government for an unprecedented 5th term.

"All the women in South Asia should be proud of her (Sheikh Hasina) capability and leadership," she said when Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud called on her at Rashtrapati Bhaban today, Bangladesh foreign ministry statement said.

The India President expressed happiness on the existing excellent relationship between Bangladesh and India and said India attaches high importance to the relations with Bangladesh.

She mentioned that Bangladesh is the largest development and trade partner of India. She lauded the remarkable socio-economic development in Bangladesh that has been achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
 
Referring to women empowerment, she said both the countries should work together to focus on women empowerment - half of the population - to foster economic development. 

During the meeting, the Bangladesh foreign minister briefed the President of India about his visit and stressed on having excellent relations with India. 

The foreign minister requested the President to visit Bangladesh at her earliest convenience.

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud also met the Vice President of India and the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Indian Parliament. He had a tour at the newly built Parliament Building of India.

Earlier in the morning, Dr Hasan Mahmud met Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.

During the meeting, he told Goyal that the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has started a fresh journey with new mandates, and one of the priorities of the government is to address the prices of essential commodities. 

He requested the Indian commerce minister to take necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of the essential commodities to Bangladesh till the holy month of Ramadan. 

In reply, Piyush Goyal said India is committed to ensure the economic and financial stability in Bangladesh. 

He assured of accommodating the request of the Bangladesh foreign minister for supplying essential commodities. He stressed on further improving the trade and commerce relations between the two countries. 

Other issues that featured in the discussion were holding regular meetings, including the Commerce Minister level meeting, to address the issues related to trade and commerce.
Yesterday (Thursday), Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud delivered key-note speeches at the prestigious think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia. 

In these two key note addresses, he highlighted the Bangladesh-India relations in the last decade and the way forward to make the relation even stronger. 

Later, the foreign minister left New Delhi for Kolkata wrapping up his three-day tour. 

He is expected to attend a civic reception in Kolkata at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. 

According to his schedule, the foreign minister would return to Dhaka tonight.