With the land boundary issue resolved, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has said there is now enormous possibility for economic growth between India and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue conference on Saturday, Jaishankar said India was eagerly looking at the possibility of economic integration with its neighbour.
“There are two possibilities before us. Either we go for an economic cooperation which can be a win-win situation for both. Or, there are some who look at everything with a religious perspective and suspicion while looking at neighbourhood, and everything as a zero sum game. For us the choice is clear. We will go for the first option,” Jaishankar said.
“The enthusiasm for bilateral relationship is fully reciprocated by Bangladesh side both at bilateral and regional level,” the FS added. In this regard he added that India is negotiating trade agreement with Bangladesh.
The FS said that the Instrument for ratifying the land Boundary Agreement will be done soon and the Treaty on Teesta is still under discussion. India plans to upgrade border posts with Bangladesh to facilitate trade and prevent illegal migration. India is also undertaking modernisation of riverport at Ashuganj in Bangladesh in order to improve river trade between the two nations.
The Ashuganj riverport is roughly 45km from Agartala and 200km from Karimganj port. It witnesses heavy traffic both over land and the Meghna river to and from India.
Its upgradation includes setting up of three additional river jetties, a container yard and dredging of Meghna’s mouth to allow easier passage of cargo ships.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Dhaka next month. On Friday, Bangladesh Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Shahriar Alam had said his Government was looking forward to Modi’s visit .
“We are looking forward to the big visit by Prime Minister Modi, and obviously, things will be discussed, and both countries have agreed in the past, and also, we have reiterated that we will do things on a win-win basis. So, we will wait,” Alam said on Friday.
For his part, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, Bangladesh has been providing full cooperation in tracking down fundamentalists and criminal elements.
Addressing the Dialogue, Rijiju said there were fringe elements along the border which try to vitiate the atmosphere but they would not be allowed to destroy relations between the two countries.
“Bangladesh has been very helpful. They have been providing full cooperation in tracking down fundamentalists and criminal elements,” he said.
The Minister said India-Bangladesh border is there to connect and not to divide and New Delhi is always looking forward to improve the bilateral relations further.
“We are very careful not to vitiate the atmosphere. I will not name anybody at this time. Without Bangladesh, India could not look East and when you look East, you cannot bypass Bangladesh,” he said.
Referring to the recently ratified land Boundary Agreement by Parliament, he said it indicated the enormous good will in India for Bangladesh.
“And then whether we like it or not, we have to live together,” he said, adding more people-to-people contact between India and Bangladesh is required.