NEW DELHI, 1 October 2020, (TON):  Reiterating the commitment of India to prioritize the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, the External Affairs Minister emphasized the importance of Bangladesh in India's 'Neighborhood First' policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina are set to hold a virtual bilateral summit in December, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed in the sixth meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC), co-chaired by Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar. "Reiterating the commitment of India to prioritize the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, the External Affairs Minister emphasized the importance of Bangladesh in India's 'Neighborhood First' policy," MEA said in a statement.

Both countries expressed satisfaction at the increasing pace of defence cooperation including in training, exchanges and capacity building. They welcomed the proposal to hold the next meeting of the Annual Defence Dialogue in November. The two Ministers reiterated the importance of the safe, speedy and sustainable return to Myanmar of the forcibly displaced persons from the Rakhine State of Myanmar, currently being sheltered by Bangladesh. In this regard, Bangladesh Foreign Minister emphasized that unless the problem is resolved quickly, there are possibilities of pockets of radicalism disrupting economic growth, peace and stability in the region and requested India's leverage, to address the crisis.