Water sharing: Bangladesh wants India to travel some distance

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said that Bangladesh-India relations is now "at its best", but there are still some challenges to overcome.

“Yes, there are still areas like sharing common water resources where we look forward to India to travel some distance for the benefit of the people of the two friendly countries,” Alam said on Sunday, speaking at a dialogue in Guwahati.

The state minister did not mention the name of any of the 54 rivers crisscrossed the two countries, but, Teesta water sharing is the known major issue remained pending for a long time due to the opposition from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Alam is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 8th round of ‘India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue’ being held in Guwahati from July 2 to 4, the foreign ministry said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the dialogue where Alam and his Indian counterpart MJ Akbar presented keynote papers.

India Foundation, Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIS), State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA) and Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Guwahati jointly organised the dialogue.

Alam stressed that a prosperous next door neighbour Bangladesh could significantly contribute to the greater development and prosperity of India.

“We understand that our challenges are many. Yet, we are hopeful that we shall be able to sustain our development efforts and prosper,” he said, adding that “we want to prosper together”.

He referred to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Delhi in April and said that had taken the relationship to “newer heights”.

Both leaders during the visit stressed that the relations were based on “fraternal ties and reflective of an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership”.

He said both Dhaka and Delhi are now engaged in far more challenging areas like counter-terrorism, defence, and intelligence sharing, among others.

“The evolving engagements also speak of a maturing and evenly poised relationship between the two countries.”

He also mentioned that opening up a new diplomatic mission of Bangladesh in Guwahati is a “clear demonstration” of the part of the Sheikh Hasina government in recognising the importance of the North East of India.

The Assam Chief Minister stressed on “greater connectivity” between India and Bangladesh and hoped for “multi-sectoral cooperation” between Bangladesh and the North East of India.

He further hoped that Bangladesh and India would “never be a safe harbour for terrorists”, according to the foreign ministry statement.

MJ Akbar highlighted the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India and mentioned both the countries have been enjoying best bilateral relations, and he characterised this relationship as “new normal”.

A colourful cultural program has been organised during the inaugural ceremony where ‘Chintak Theatre’ from Bangladesh and an Assamese cultural team performed dances portraying the rich cultural heritages of the two countries.

At the sidelines, the two state ministers also had a luncheon meeting.

Alam also had a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sonowal where they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues and future cooperation including dredging of Brahmaputra river and introducing a shipping connectivity between Assam and Bangladesh.

The chief minister also inquired about the possibility of a direct flight in the Dhaka-Guwahati route, the foreign ministry said.