India on Friday described its relations with Bangladesh as ‘time-tested’ good neighbourly one based on trust and mutual understanding.

‘Our solid ties have their genesis in War of Liberation of Bangladesh,’ Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson, Indian Ministry of External Affairs tweeted as Bangladesh and India took stock of progress of relations on all fronts, reports the UNB.

Scripting a forward-looking agenda

EAM @SushmaSwaraj & Bangladeshi FM Abdul Momen co-chaired 5th Joint Consultative Committee Meeting.Took stock of progress in security,defence,trade&connectivity,development partnership, water,power&energy sectors & consular&cultural cooperation pic.twitter.com/4Ef9WOi8WH

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 8, 2019

The two sides discussed cooperation in the areas of security, defence, trade and connectivity, development partnership, water, power and energy sectors, consular and cultural cooperation.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj led Bangladesh and Indian delegations respectively at the 5th meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting in New Delhi.

Sushma Swaraj welcomed Dr Momen, who is visiting New Delhi on his maiden official tour abroad as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, ahead of the 5th JCC meeting.

Bangladesh and India were scheduled to sign five MoUs during the foreign minister-level bilateral talks aiming to take the relations between the two countries to a newer height.

The documents that are likely to be signed are MoU between the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh and the National Medical Plants Board, India on cooperation in the field of medicinal plants, MoU between National Centre for Good Governance, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India and Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladesh on tanning and capacity building programme for Bangladesh Civil Servants and MoU between Hiranandani Group and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) for developing Indian Economic Zone in Mongla, Bangladesh.

Two more MoUs between Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and PrasarBharti of India are also planned to be signed.

Dr Momen will leave New Delhi for Dhaka on Saturday morning after wrapping up his first foreign tour as Foreign Minister.

Time-tested good neighbourly relations based on trust & mutual understanding.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj welcomed Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. Abdul Momen ahead of #IndiaBangladesh Joint Consultative Commission. Our solid ties have their genesis in War of Liberation of Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/NoamvqY40X

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 8, 2019

The 4th Joint Consultative Commission between Bangladesh and India, led by former Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Indian External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj respectively, was held in October 2017.