Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Saturday said bilateral connectivity projects will feature "prominently" during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

"Bangladesh’s connectivity initiatives along the other sides of its borders with India are also witnessing diverse forms of investment, including the inauguration of a diesel pipeline across the northern part this year," he said while speaking at a seminar on Bangladesh's Indo-Pacific outlook (IPO).

The government made it clear that Bangladesh's IPO is not aimed at choosing between major powers, it is rather focused on inclusive development.

The prime minister will attend the G20 summit on September 9-10. There will be a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines.

The US pursues an Indo-Pacific strategy with its allies in the region while China has its Belt and Road Initiative.

Bangladesh will continue "to attach priority to regional connectivity in pursuance of our political leadership’s vision to position our territory as a connectivity hub in the Indo-Pacific context," Momen said.

"We are also a part of the Belt and Road Initiative or BRI," the foreign secretary added. 

In the critical area of connectivity, he said, Bangladesh remains committed and active on multiple fronts, including through regional or sub-regional configurations like Saarc, Bimstec and BBIN. 

"In April this year, during her bilateral visit to Japan, our prime minister reaffirmed support to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s elaboration of the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt or BIG-B surrounding Bangladesh and the contiguous parts of Northeastern India."

"Focusing on that area, the work on Matarbari deep-sea port, as well as the expansion of Chittagong port, remains underway, while new avenues are being opened up in road and rail connectivity with Northeastern India," he said.

In July this year, he said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exchanged views with her Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal about the possibility of further opening up trade and energy corridors. 

"Bangladesh remains engaged in discussions with UN-ESCAP and Asian Development Bank on multiple connectivity corridors across the region and also with the EU and European Investment Bank on viable cross-border connectivity projects under the Global Gateway Initiative," he said.