Dhaka seeks quick Teesta resolution
Bangladesh has sought expeditious resolution of the contentious Teesta river water treaty issue, saying it was paying "huge" costs for long.
"We hope that the two countries would reach an understanding sooner, rather than later, with regards to the sharing of the waters of Teesta and Feni rivers that are of interest to Bangladesh", said Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India Tariq Ahmed Karim.
He said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina displayed immense courage, broad vision, and great boldness in many of her initiatives in reconfiguring the nature of Bangladesh-India bilateral relations that she has taken since coming to power for a second time in January 2009".
Speaking at a function to commemorate the 141st birth anniversary of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das here on Monday evening, Karim stressed the need for an effective management of water resources for fair and equitable distribution of resources between India and Bangladesh.
"All issues, especially the water treaty on Teesta, need to be sorted out sooner. I put emphasise on the word 'sooner', understanding the huge costs our country is paying for this.
"India and Bangladesh share a watershed of around 54 rivers, but there is a water-sharing treaty on just one, and that is for the Ganges", the Bangladesh High Commissioner said.
Noting that issues relating to security have been sorted out considerably, Karim said Bangladesh was committed to addressing India's concerns.
Recalling the recent bilateral developments, particularly the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in September and Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina's visit here last year, he said under the present leadership in Bangladesh, relations with India are "set to reach new horizons".
"I would call the recent developments as 'game-changing'. With fresh initiatives from both sides, relations between India and Bangladesh have been reconfigured considerably," he said, adding that the government in Dhaka was committed to giving fresh impetus to the relations.
Karim called for a three-dimensional approach of "past, present, and future" to ensure a close cooperation between the two countries.
"We should not only focus on current prospects but, at the same time, need to work out past issues of contention, apart from setting an eye on the future", he said.
Observing that India continues to occupy a major stake in Bangladesh's foreign and economic policies, Karim said Bangladesh could not have achieved freedom as quickly as it did without the support of India.
He said that apart from political and economic ties, both the countries also shared a cultural, social and, above all, an emotional bond.
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