India-B'desh bonhomie scaled new heights as 2021 marked 50 yrs of ties

Update: 2021-12-30 17:15 GMT

Dhaka: The year 2021 was a momentous one for India and Bangladesh as they jointly celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan and the birth centenary of its Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The year began on a promising note as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for sending over two million doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine Covishield, as a gift.

The vaccines helped Bangladesh launch its nationwide vaccination drive.

Prime Minister Modi -- in his first trip to a foreign country since the COVID-19 outbreak -- visited Bangladesh in March and participated in the golden jubilee of its independence from Pakistan and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.

During the visit, which coincided with the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between India and Bangladesh, it was decided to commemorate December 6 as 'Maitri Diwas' (Friendship Day).

Ten days before the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, India recognised Bangladesh on December 6, 1971. India was one of the first countries to establish bilateral diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.

"Both India and Bangladesh want to see the world progressing through their own development. Both the countries want to see stability, love, and peace instead of instability, terror, and unrest in the world," Modi said.

In a major boost to bilateral ties, a new passenger train connecting Dhaka and West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri was inaugurated jointly by Modi and Hasina. It was the third passenger train after Maitree Express (Dhaka-Kolkata) and Bandhan Express (Khulna-Kolkata) running between the two neighbouring countries.

Exclusively honouring Indian martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, they jointly unveiled the foundation stone for the first memorial in this country.

Modi also reiterated India's "sincere and continued efforts" to conclude the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world, with West Bengal having the highest length with

2,217-kilometre.

The two countries participated in a 10-day multilateral UN-mandated counter-terrorism exercise held in Bangladesh. Bhutan and Sri Lanka also took part in the drill along with observers from the US, the UK, Turkey, Kuwait, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

Similar News