KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accepted an invitation to visit Bangladesh at the invitation of its Foreign Minister Dipu Moni. “There are two big programmes in Bangladesh in December and March. My friend and sister Dipu has invited us to them. We have accepted the invitation. We will see when it will be suitable for us to visit. We will inform them accordingly,” Banerjee told newsmen after a meeting with Moni.
Stating that West Bengal and Bangladesh shared common cultural ties and she wanted the bond to be strengthened, Banerjee said “since Bengal is considered the cultural capital of the country and it has commonness of culture with Bangladesh, we will propose a joint task force so that ties in various cultural areas may be strengthened.”
Banerjee expressed gratitude to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for accepting her invitation to address the convocation of the Calcutta University.
Pointing out that this was her first meeting with Banerjee after she became chief minister, Moni said “I congratulated her personally and on behalf of our Prime Minister on her massive victory (in the Assembly elections).”
Moni said she discussed with Banerjee the role of West Bengal in strenthening Indo-Bangladesh relations.
The Bangladesh Foreign minister was here on her way back to her country from an IOR-ARC meeting in Bangalore. (PTI)