India has pledged its assistance in building a reservoir on the Teesta River that spans Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud announced New Delhi's commitment on Thursday, following a meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
After discussions with Kwatra, Mahmud emphasized the significance of the project on the Teesta and India's interest in financing it.
He stressed that any project must align with Bangladesh's requirements and fulfil its needs.
However, Mahmud did not provide further details on India's proposal, which emerged several months after Dhaka announced its consideration of the geopolitical implications of a Chinese proposal for the reservoir construction on the Teesta, which flows from India into Bangladesh.
Kwatra met with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina earlier in the day. While there was no official briefing on their discussion, sources revealed that during the meeting Kwatra extended an invitation for the prime minister to visit New Delhi.
This would mark her first trip to India since her ruling Awami League party secured a historic fourth consecutive term on January 7.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first global leader to congratulate Hasina on her re-election.
Regarding whether Hasina would prioritize a visit to New Delhi over Beijing — since she was also slated to visit China — Hassan indicated that the proximity of New Delhi made it a likely first choice.
He suggested that she would probably visit India before heading to the Chinese capital.
Hassan mentioned that with elections underway in India, the finalization of the visit's date would depend on the formation of the new government.
The most recent bilateral engagement between the two prime ministers occurred during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023, where Bangladesh participated as a guest country.