India to continue support Bangladesh in 'blue economy'

Indian Special Secretary for Environment Hem Pande says New Delhi will continue to “cooperate closely” with Dhaka to promote ocean-based ‘blue economy’.

He said the cooperation “to harness marine resources and building resilience in the Sundarbans eco-system' will be provided both bilaterally and on a regional basis.
 
Pande was speaking at a regional consultation in Bangkok organised jointly by the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Asia Directorate.
 
The Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok on Tuesday said senior officials from the foreign and environment ministries of over 13 countries of South and South East Asia and beyond participated in the consultation.
 
They lauded Bangladesh’s leadership on blue economy and climate change issues during the consultation.
 
Bangladesh has begun to pursue blue economy as a foreign policy ‘priority’ soon after it peacefully settled maritime disputes with India and Myanmar.
 
Dhaka now regards the Bay of Bengal as its “third neighbour”, considering the richness of its marine resources.
 
During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka this year, the two countries signed a MoU for joint research on oceanography of the Bay of Bengal.
 
Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) of the foreign ministry Md Khurshed Alam presented the keynote at the consultation meeting. The retired rear admiral said “oceans and seas are the common heritage of mankind and critical to sustaining Earth's life support systems”.
 
He highlighted the role of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in attracting global attention to climate change challenges for developing countries and her advocacy for sustainable and people-centric development.
 
Bangladesh Ambassador in Bangkok Saida Muna Tasneem said as a Bay of Bengal littoral country, “Bangladesh is actively reaching out to the international community to stimulate new and stronger partnerships on Blue Economy”.
 
She said Bangladesh was looking forward to strengthen inter-regional partnerships and form new collaborations for capacity-building in marine studies, scientific knowledge, and research.
 
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Virasakdi Futrakul inaugurated the consultation and lauded Dhaka’s role in promoting ocean-based economy.