Bangladesh signed a $1 billion credit deal with India on Saturday, six months after it was offered during a visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the neighbours vowed to improve ties and boost economic co-operation. The signing was witnessed by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who came to Dhaka for a brief visit and met with his counterpart Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, foreign minister Dipu Moni and prime minister Hasina.
They also discussed the progress on other decisions reached during Hasina's India trip in January, at talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, officials said. Mukherjee, the highest level Indian official to come to Dhaka this year, is due to fly back later in the evening, after a five-hour stay.
Dhaka officials earlier said the visit would reaffirm India's willingness to hasten implementation of Hasina-Manmohan agreements, including Dhaka's offer to let India use Bangladesh's Chittagong port and river routes to transport goods to India's landlocked north-eastern states. India agreed to help Bangladesh improve its rail and road networks, and cooperate in the fields of power and energy and also transit to Nepal and Bhutan.