During Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to India, which begins on Monday, India and Bangladesh are likely to roll out a series of measures to boost cooperation on defence, trade and river water sharing.

The two sides are expected to sign several agreements, including an agreement to temporarily share water from the Kushiyara River following talks between Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Hasina plans to travel to Ajmer, Rajasthan, to visit the Dargah of revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. Hasina’s delegation will include Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, Liberation War Minister AK M Mozammel Haq and Mashiur AKM Rahman, economic affairs adviser to PM.

During the visit from September 5 to 8, the Bangladeshi PM will also call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar. The two sides will announce measures to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defence, trade and river water sharing, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Hasina last visited New Delhi in October 2019. “The upcoming visit of PM Sheikh Hasina to New Delhi will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Last month, India and Bangladesh finalised the text of an agreement on the temporary sharing of water from the Koshiyara River. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) text was finalised at the 38th Ministerial Meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Committee (JRC) in Delhi on August 25.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, seven of which were previously identified as the framework for priority water-sharing agreements. The overall strategic relationship between India and Bangladesh has been on the rise over the past few years.

Last March, PM Narendra Modi travelled to Bangladesh to participate in events organised to mark the centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth and the 50th anniversary of the country’s war of liberation. Reflecting the close relationship, India has also hosted a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh.

Since 2015, the two prime ministers have held 12 meetings. Bangladesh is an important partner of India’s “neighbourhood first” policy, and cooperation extends to security, trade, commerce, energy, connectivity, science and technology, defence, maritime and other fields.

Bangladesh is now India’s largest trading partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade growing from $9 billion to $18 billion in the past five years. Bangladesh has become India’s fourth largest export destination, with exports growing by more than 66% from $9.69 billion in 2020-21 to $16.15 billion in 2021-22.