Tuesday, June 21 2005 12:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India today (Jun 21, 2005) said it was willing to issue the maximum number of visas to Bangladeshis as part of efforts to further improve people-to-people contacts with that country.

This was conveyed by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed to Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mohd Hemayetuddin when the latter called on him in New Delhi, official sources said.

During the 20-minute meeting, Ahamed said India considered Bangladesh an important neighbour strategically, politically and economically and was ready to extend all cooperation for further improvement of relations.

Conveying India's desire to further improve people-to-people contact with Bangladesh, he is understood to have said New Delhi would like to issue maximum number of visas to Bangladeshis, even if the figure is in "hundreds of thousands".

India is not only the larger but a close neighbour of Bangladesh, the Minister is understood to have told Hemayetuddin.

The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary, who is here for talks with his Indian counterpart Shyam Saran, told Ahamed that a lot of goodwill for India existed in his country as it had always helped them.