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India supports Bangladesh candidature for World Health Organisation post

Dhaka - Bangladesh vying to be regional executive director of South-East Asia office.

India has extended its support to Bangladesh's candidature for the post of Executive Director (ED) of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).

Newly-appointed Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Vikram Kumar Doraiswami confirmed this while paying a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Ganabhaban residence on Wednesday.

Doraiswami also conveyed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to Hasina and all the Bangladeshis.

In reply, the premier thanked and conveyed her regards to her Indian counterpart.

With immense gratitude, Hasina recalled India's contribution to the Liberation Warand also the reconstruction of the newly-independent Bangladesh.

Welcoming the new High Commissioner, the premier assured him of extending all kinds of support to discharge his duties.

The Indian envoy said that in order to establish a "Golden Bangladesh", as dreamt by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dhaka's Father of the Nation, Indians are willing to be a part of the move.

"As far as Bangladesh is concerned, all Indians are united in their voice," Hasina said, adding that it was exemplified during the ratification of the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) in the Indian Parliament.

She once again stressed the need for regional development and cooperation.

The envoy discussed the difficulties being faced by Bangladeshi nationals in obtaining Indian visas due to coronavirus pandemic.

Doraiswami informed Hasina that 90 per cent Indian visas of different categories have already been opened, while the remaining ones would be given depending on the Covid-19 situation.

He pointed out the ongoing process of supplying 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh through the Serum Institute of India.

In this connection, he expressed the Indian government's desire to increase the capacity of Bangladeshi health professionals for effective delivery of the vaccines.

During the meeting, Hasina reiterated that Bangladesh believes in the foreign policy adopted by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: "Friendship to all, malice to none."

Accordingly, Chilahati-Haldibari rail link, a pre-1965 connectivity line, would be inaugurated along with some other projects during the forthcoming virtual summit between Hasina and Modi on December 17.

The Indian envoy also briefed Hasina about the forthcoming programmes to celebrate "Mujib Barsho" as well as the 50 years of independence of Bangladesh and establishment of diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries.