India-Bangladesh sign four MoUs to take relationship beyond strategic partnership
New Delhi: India-Bangladesh on Friday signed four Memorandum of Understanding to take the relationship beyond strategic partnership and to make it irreversible in the future. Following the 5th Joint consultative commission meeting, a joint statement was issued which directs two countries official to prepare a roadmap for future cooperation keeping in mind the 50th year celebration of Bangladesh liberation war. So that these projects could be implemented during the celebration years.
Two countries also agreed for early, speedy, safe and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees to their home at Rakhine province of Myanmar. In the meeting, Bangladesh Foreign Minister also urged for early conclusion of long pending Teesta water sharing agreement and also to find a mechanism for sharing water of all 53 common rivers flowing through two countries. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj concluded the 5th meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission between Bangladesh and India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan in New Delhi in the afternoon. "The two Ministers reaffirmed that the relationship between India and Bangladesh, forged in the 1971 Liberation War, goes far beyond a strategic partnership. Today it is anchored in history, culture, language and shared values of democracy, secularism, development cooperation and countless other commonalities, says the joint statement.
During the meeting, the Ministers discussed the gamut of bilateral issues of mutual interest. They reviewed ongoing cooperation including the implementation of decisions taken during the visits of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as well as at the last meeting of JCC in October 2017, in Dhaka. The Ministers tasked their accompanying officials to develop a forward looking roadmap for bilateral cooperation to make the partnership irreversible. In particular, they desired that partnership-building efforts should be enhanced in a manner commensurate with commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's Liberation.
Indian External Affairs Minister congratulated Minister Momen on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
In her opening remarks, the Indian Minister underscored that trust and partnership are the bedrock of understanding between India and Bangladesh. She highlighted that both countries are two of the fastest growing economies in the world and India stands in full support of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's development agenda. Indian External Affairs Minister noted with satisfaction that Bangladesh-India bilateral relations are going through a 'Shonali Oddhay'. Minister Momen highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Hasina and Prime Minister Modi, the relations have reached unprecedented heights.
During the meeting, the two Ministers discussed the status of the entire gamut of bilateral issues between in a very cordial environment.
The Ministers expressed satisfaction that both countries are working closer than ever before in every sector, from security and border management to mutually-beneficial trade and investment flows, power and energy, river water sharing, development partnership, transport connectivity, culture and people-to-people contacts. They welcomed the fact that the relationship was now broadening to include Blue Economy, cyber security, outer space management, new and high technology areas for partnership, such as space, nuclear energy, IT and electronics.
