India's Prime Minister begins Bangladesh visit

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began an official visit to Bangladesh on Tuesday. Singh and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are working to reach an agreement on their 2,545-mile (4,096-kilometer) border, explore cooperation in the power sector and enhance trade, according to a report of the Associated Press. Singh made no immediate statement after arriving Tuesday. He is returning a visit by Hasina to India in January last year during which India granted Bangladesh a $1 billion development loan and raised quotas on imports of textiles. In a statement before he left New Delhi, Singh said India attached "the highest importance to further developing and strengthening our relations with Bangladesh." "It is a matter of satisfaction that we have made concrete progress in several areas such as security, boundary issues, water resources, power connectivity, improvement of border infrastructure, trade facilitation and economic cooperation," Singh said. "I expect my visit to lead to greater cooperation between India and Bangladesh in all these areas."