Hasina stresses long-term interests for regional benefits at India Economic Summit

South Asia must emerge as a connected, friendly and competitive region always ready to build bridges with other regions, Sheikh Hasina has said.

“In the past decades, we have seen many lofty regional ideas and initiatives. Some succeeded, others could not deliver,” the prime minister told the India Economic Summit organised by the World Economic Forum in New Delhi on Friday.

She thinks the region should follow four principles in the next decades.

First, she said, the region must strive to secure peace, stability and harmony, for every individual across societies.

“We must move beyond the majority – minority mindset. Pluralism has been a strength of South Asia for centuries. So, we should be able to celebrate South Asia’s diversities in religion, ethnicity and language. This is fundamental,” Hasina remarked.

"Second, we must ensure that inequality across societies do not widen in times of faster growth.

“Wealth creation should be inclusive and must trickle down to the bottom millions. Less developed communities or countries should not lag behind,” she said.

Mutual trust and mutual respect between all communities and countries is the third principle that should be followed, Hasina said in the closing session of the summit.

“We need to get over misperceptions and false apprehensions,” she commented.

She mentioned the resolve of the Ganges river water-sharing with India and delimitation of maritime boundary with India and Myanmar while describing Bangladesh’s success in implementing its policy of “friendship to all, malice to none”.

Bangladesh is buying power from India through inter-country grid connections, she noted and said such collaborative culture is “essential across our politics, economy and society”.

“On the other hand, our private sectors compete with each other on a transparent and fairly basis,” she said.           

Fourth, the region must manage its geo-political realities through friendship and collaboration, the prime minister said.

“Let us appreciate and balance regional political realties for the interest of our peoples.

“We cannot trade off long-term interests for short-term gains,” she added.