Bangladesh historically important trade and transportation hub for India: FS Shringla

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla said that Bangladesh has historically been an important trade and transportation hub for our subcontinent. He talked about the effective management of the India-Bangladesh border is key to facilitating economic linkages and people-to-people contact. He pointed out that there is a need to work closely to strengthen border infrastructure to ensure smooth transit of goods and people while ensuring that illegal activities are kept under check.

New Delhi: India's Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla said that Bangladesh has historically been an important trade and transportation hub for our subcontinent. "India and Bangladesh have signed an ‘Agreement on the Use Chattogram and Mongla Ports for Transshipment of Goods to and from North East of India’. Fully operationalizing this agreement will bring economic benefits to a range of stakeholders from both countries," Shringla said during an interaction with the Bangladesh delegation at the 10th India-Bangladesh friendship dialogue.

While North East India will benefit from a steady supply of goods, the transport and logistics sector in Bangladesh will gain considerably, bringing prosperity on both sides of the border, he added. The Foreign Secretary said that as today, Bangladesh is commemorating Language Day adding that 70 years ago on this day-February 21-, the youth of the then East Pakistan made supreme sacrifices for the recognition and respect for their mother language. "Now, the whole world celebrates this day as International Mother Language Day. I pay my tributes to the language heroes who laid down their lives for a very noble cause", he said.

He thanked Bangladesh for its valuable support and encouragement in being able to achieve some remarkable feats together in recent years. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar also paid a visit to Dhaka last year. Shringla recalled that these high-level engagements are reflective of the priority that both countries attach to this relationship. More importantly, they reflect the trust and confidence that both countries have in each other.

"Today, as Bangladesh commemorates fifty years of its independence, I am happy to note that its growth has proven its detractors wrong. Bangladesh has emerged as a role model for strong socio-economic growth", he reiterated. "The growth of Bangladesh is not just in the interest of the people of Bangladesh, but equally, in the interest of the region and beyond. It is this spirit of interdependence and fraternal ties that drive our development cooperation with Bangladesh, which is the largest that we have with any country," he added.

The Foreign Secretary talked about the effective management of the India-Bangladesh border is key to facilitating economic linkages and people-to-people contact. He pointed out that there is a need to work closely to strengthen border infrastructure to ensure smooth transit of goods and people while ensuring that illegal activities are kept under check. "An example of this approach is our objective of establishing additional border huts," he added.

It is worth noting that two-way trade in the recent past has witnessed a quantum jump with exports from Bangladesh, for the first time, expected to cross $ 2 billion this year. The early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is vital in enhancing this momentum in trade. "Another area that needs concerted focus is connectivity. We have made some progress here but there is a need to make more effective and sustained efforts," Shringla underlined.

Outlining the remarkable progress in enhancing connectivity, Shringla said more effective and sustained efforts are needed. "In a significant development, on February 5, 2022, a cargo vessel carrying food grains sailed from Patna (Bihar) and will travel via the waterways of India and Bangladesh to reach Pandu (Assam) in early March", he added.

He highlighted India's ‘Gati Shakti’ initiative which is upgrading connectivity in India with a multi-modal perspective. "The movement of products from locations of production to places of value addition and consumption needs multiple modes of transportation. Our bilateral arrangements should reflect this paradigm to maintain the competitive advantage that our geographical proximity offers us", added Shringla.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers which are part of our shared resources and responsibilities. The historic accord on Ganga water sharing has stood the test of time. Shringla informed that both the countries are now working on finalizing agreements for other rivers and exchanging best practices in the areas of river embankments, addressing the salinity of rivers, etc.

As the impact of climate change is felt in both countries, more comprehensive cooperation in water conservation, fisheries, flood management, and pollution in rivers is required, he said while adding that greater synergies in climate action, preserving shared natural heritage such as Sundarbans, etc. are also required. He reiterated that India remains committed to building the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC Framework.

"It can be an important vehicle for enhancing economic cooperation, development, and connectivity in the region. We are looking forward to the next BIMSTEC Summit," said Shringla. He stressed the importance of nurturing and upholding the spirit of the 1971 liberation war, especially at a time when radical and anti-liberation forces try to destabilize our region for their interests.