Bangladesh-India Dialogue
Continued cooperation stressed
Speakers at a dialogue yesterday stressed the need for continued cooperation between Bangladesh and India for the early implementation of agreements and understanding reached between the two countries in the past three years.
Despite some setbacks on some specific issues, sincere efforts, powered by strong political will from both sides, are being put into overcoming the hurdles, they observed.
The “Bangladesh-India Dialogue on Cooperative Development, Peace and Security in South and Central Asia: Strengthening India-Bangladesh Relations” was held at Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) auditorium.
Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad, Dhaka School of Economics, PKSF and Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) of India organised the two-day dialogue which concluded yesterday.
Acknowledging the incomplete implementation of agreements, commitments and decisions over the past three years, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, at the dialogue, said Bangladesh and India have excellent relations which tend to be very cooperative.
She asked all not to be discouraged over issues which have not yet been achieved as the leadership of both countries have the courage to make the effort to attain their goals.
Steps like the lifting of various tariff and non-tariff barriers and enabling duty free access of Bangladeshi products to the Indian market were taken to remove the trade gap between the two countries, she added.
Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, currently special secretary (Public Diplomacy) of India's Ministry of External Affairs, said the transformation of this region's landscape was made possible by the visionary, courageous and determined leadership of both countries.
“The transformation has been taking place in recent years. Now we are no longer thinking of what to do but on how to do it and on the need to operationalise all agreements, MoUs and commitments,” he said.
Pinak, who was Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka from 2007 to 2009, said some may think that there are worries and setbacks but “we will keep working, achieve and overcome all hurdles. We are determined to achieve the goal.”
On border management, the Indian diplomat said the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had strictly been ordered not to open fire and show maximum restraint under all circumstances.
However, he said some 153 BSF men had received serious injuries while another was killed in attacks from Bangladesh's side in the past year.
The session was also addressed by former Bangladesh foreign secretary CM Shafi Sami, former Indian foreign secretary Salman Haider, PKSF Chairman Kazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad and Prof Sucha Singh Gill of CRRID of India.
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