AGARTALA, July 3 � Bangladesh will expand its diplomatic presence in India�s Northeast to improve trade, people-to-people contacts and cultural ties with the eight states in the region, of which four share a common border with it, reports IANS.
�New Delhi has accepted Dhaka�s proposal to open a new Bangladesh deputy high commission in Guwahati in Assam,� a Bangladesh foreign ministry official told IANS.
�The proposed deputy high commission in Guwahati will have consular jurisdiction over Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh,� the official said.
Dhaka now has a diplomatic mission in Tripura capital Agartala. The official, who requested anonymity, said the Agartala mission would also be upgraded as an assistant high commission. The new deputy high commission in Guwahati was likely to open next year. According to the official, the process for upgrading the mission in Agartala would be completed by September.
Bangladesh already has diplomatic missions in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. In return, Dhaka has allowed New Delhi to open assistant high commissions in Khulna and Sylhet, the official added.
�Extension and upgradation of the Bangladesh missions in Northeast India will boost trade and economy, people-to-people contact and cultural relations between Bangladesh and the northeastern region,� the official said.
The states in the Northeast are keen to improve trade and business with Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh had earlier decided to upgrade the existing 27 custom stations in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina discussed possible improvement in trade and economic activities when the former visited Dhaka on June 6-7.
India and Bangladesh have so far set up four �border haats� or markets � two each in Meghalaya and Tripura frontiers.
