FM Momen hopeful of early signing of Teesta; India looks forward to Hasina’s visit
Momen reiterated that India is the most important neighbour for Bangladesh, noting that over the last few years, both the countries have achieved remarkable progress in a number of areas
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday hoped that all outstanding issues with India including the signing of the Teesta water sharing treaty will be concluded at an early date.
He recalled that the two countries had resolved many of the outstanding issues in the spirit of friendship and cooperation.
Momen and his visiting Indian counterpart S Jaishankar "comprehensively" discussed the bilateral issues at a meeting held at Foreign Service Academy here.
He also sought the support of India for the speedy repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals – Rohingyas – to their country of origin, according to a media release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.
Momen reiterated that India is the most important neighbour for Bangladesh, noting that over the last few years, both the countries have achieved remarkable progress in a number of areas.
Both the foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the ongoing cooperation between the countries and discussed the possible dates of the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India to further cementing the ties.
Jaishankar said he conveyed to PM Hasina the personal greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to her to visit India at her convenience later this year; also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with the prime minister. "We look forward to her visit to India at a time of her convenience"
Both the foreign ministers noted that 2021 was a landmark year for the Bangladesh-India relationship as the president and prime minister of India visited Bangladesh in a single year.
Both the counties celebrated the 50 years of diplomatic ties through the joint celebration of a number of landmark events across the world.
They underscored the necessity of holding of the next round of Joint Consultation Commission (JCC) meeting at the earliest convenience of both sides.
Both sides stressed on following up the decisions taken at the highest level for their effective implementation for mutual benefit.
Momen expressed satisfaction over rise of trade volume between the two countries and announcement of 200 scholarships by the government of Bangladesh for the family members of war veterans of India who fought for Bangladesh in 1971.
Jaishankar stressed that Bangladesh features as the most important country in the Indian Foreign Policy objectives of "Neighbour First".
He stated that Bangladesh and India have been maintaining excellent relationship even during the pandemic when the whole world was at a standstill.
Jaishankar appreciated Bangladesh for the transformative socio-economic development under the dynamic leadership of Hasina.
He emphasised on promoting trade, commerce and connectivity especially in the light of supply chain disruption resulting from Covid-19 restrictions and recent conflict in Ukraine.
The Indian minister assured of India's cooperation in resolving some of the concerns of Bangladesh including the early repatriation of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to their country of origin.
He also stressed on early and timely completion of some of the projects funded by India and on the need of sub-regional cooperation in all matters, particularly in the energy sector.
Jaishankar arrived here on Thursday afternoon leading a high level delegation including Foreign Secretary-designate Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
On Friday morning, he would depart Dhaka for Paro, Bhutan.
