New Delhi: India Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Monday addressed Maitri Diwas celebration, the 50th anniversary of India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations, held in New Delhi. He said, “India will endeavour to remain a trusted development partner for Bangladesh,”
“It is the largest single destination for Indian development partnership resources. More than a third of India’s total soft loans, through concessional lines of credit, are deployed with Bangladesh. Credits worth more than US$ 10 billion on the ‘softest’ terms have been extended. This is indicative of our priorities”, Shringla said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message on the occasion of Maitri Diwas today, recalled and celebrated the foundations of our 50 years of friendship and looked forward to working with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to further expand and deepen the ties.
This day marks not just the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh but also celebrates a unique relationship between two great nations.
FS Shringla noted that 50 years ago, the people of Bangladesh were engaged in a mighty struggle. They fought to liberate themselves, in one of the greatest movements in history, from a vicious regime.
“India is privileged that it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Bangladesh in their most difficult moments. India shared their joy when the people of Bangladesh emerged from this struggle as victorious people and a free nation”, he reiterated.
Further Shringla pointed out that India saluted the leadership of Bangabandhu, a man who shaped the destiny of nation and that India recognized Bangladesh as a free and independent nation while it was still fighting its war of liberation.
“It was the second country in the world to do so. It was a leap of faith. India did so because it was convinced of the righteousness of the Bangladeshis cause, and the certainty that it would prevail”, he added.
“India and Bangladesh, driven by the aspirations and values of their peoples, are upwardly mobile nations, both countries are democracies that have consistently growing and diversifying economies. This is a good occasion to draw attention to Bangladesh’s successes in its economic journey. Its most recent success is its ascent from Least Developed Countries (LDC) status. According to the United Nations, only 6 countries have made this transition in the last 50 years. Bangladesh is amongst the handful of other countries that will cross this milestone in the immediate future”, Shringla said.
Shringla reaffirmed that India and Bangladesh fought the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic together. He recalled that both the Prime Ministers attended the video conference of South Asian leaders in March 2020 on combating this challenge. Bangladesh was one of the first destinations for Indian vaccines. The Oxygen Express between India and Bangladesh is another example of our solidarity in the face of this health disaster.
Bangladesh was the destination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit after the disruptions and lockdowns of the pandemic. He travelled to Bangladesh in March this year as the Chief Guest at the celebrations to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the creation of Bangladesh.
The President of India will participate in the golden jubilee Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka on 16 December.
The several bilateral visits by different dignitaries including EAM Jaishankar signifies the highest importance that India accords to its relationship with Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Shringla reaffirmed that with the signing and ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement in 2015 and the demarcation of the maritime boundary, both nations have unlocked the potential for expanding cooperation in joint management of the border and Blue Economy. This is also the spirit that underlies the transformational growth of connectivity between the two countries. Five of the six railway linkages between the two countries, that existed before 1965, have been revived. The sixth will soon be revived. An additional railway line is being built to link Akhaura with Agartala. India and Bangladesh share the Bay of Bengal and 54 rivers. These are being exploited to create low-carbon-footprint connectivity through waterways and coastal shipping. Cargo, for example, can now move to Agartala from Kolkata via Chattogram.
“India and Bangladesh are linked through power grids. A common energy market is emerging. Over 1100 MW of power now moves across the border. India and Bangladesh are cooperating in power generation, including, but not exclusively, through the flagship 1320 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project”, Shringla pointed out.
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