Revisiting Indo-BD issues

It is for the first time that High Commissioners of Bangladesh and India, who served in New Delhi and Dhaka over the last four decades, had met to deliberate on our mutual relations. The views coming from these practitioners of diplomacy, who were engaged in furthering mutual ties, were objective and which leaders of both the countries should take note of.
Although substantial achievements have been made in furthering bilateral relations in the past six years, India must shoulder more responsibility to build trust and confidence in its small but important neighbour. In particular, India should immediately address the issue of the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and signing of the Teesta River Water Sharing deal.   
We welcome the call from former envoys for greater economic co-operation between the two nations and enhanced effort on India's part to fulfill its pledges to Bangladesh.
The suggestion that a mechanism should be developed whereby bilateral issues can be mediated based on laws and rights merits serious consideration. In addition, the Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development signed in 2011 should be implemented to improve existing relations.
With a new government in India, which has emphasised the importance of strengthening relations with India's neighbours and promised to protect Bangladesh's interests, we hope that the two countries can finally overcome the existing impediments to greater cooperation. Although Prime Minister Modi has stated that it is only a ”matter of time” before the LBA is settled, and pledged to seriously pursue the consensus building process on the Teesta deal, we are yet to see palpable action on India's part to resolve these two thorny issues.
Only the political will of the two governments will determine if the future of the Indo-Bangla relations will be one of mutual collaboration or of unequal association.