Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud, MP held a meeting today with the External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on his maiden bilateral trip to India as the Foreign Minister. Foreign Minister Mahmud is visiting India from 6 to 9 February 2024 at the invitation of the External Affairs Minister of India.
The two Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction with the excellent bilateral relationship that exists between Bangladesh and India. They discussed key areas of mutual interest, expressing a commitment to strengthening collaboration across various areas. They stressed deeper and high-quality cooperation in various sectors, especially trade and commerce, connectivity, power, defense and security cooperation, water etc. Both the Foreign Ministers agreed to collaborate further with each other at sub-regional, regional,l and multilateral platforms.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister thanked India for their cooperation and continued support in various sectors which resulted in a remarkable year of 2023 in the bilateral relations between the two countries. He noted that several projects in promoting power sector cooperation and establishing connectivity were inaugurated by the two Prime Ministers.
Foreign Minister Mahmud emphasized on early conclusion of the Teesta water-sharing agreement aiming to strengthen water cooperation between the two countries. He also stressed the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty that will expire in 2026. He requested his Indian counterpart to withdraw tariff and non-tariff barriers for Bangladesh’s exports, as well as ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh to maintain price stability, especially during Ramadan. The issue of border killings was discussed and both agreed to enhance cooperation between the two Border Guard Forces and use non-lethal weapons to reduce border killings to zero.
Indian External Affairs Minister congratulated Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister for conducting a very good and successful elections held last month. Dr. Jaishankar emphasized regional connectivity and power sector cooperation. He appreciated the Government of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for socio-economic advancement during the last 15 years. He noted that Bangladesh and India should work together to fulfill the aspirations of the peoples of both countries. He stressed devising ways and means of fast-tracking LoC projects.
Both the Foreign Ministers discussed in detail the evolving situation in Myanmar and its impact on the regional stability and repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister reiterated India’s support in the early repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
Both Foreign Ministers expressed commitment to further enhance their collaboration to promote sub-regional cooperation within the framework of BIMSTEC, IORA, and BBIN.
The Foreign Minister invited the External Affairs Minister of India to Dhaka for the next Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) Meeting at his earliest convenience.
Earlier today, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud paid tribute to the memories of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. He met National Security Adviser Mr. Ajit Doval and visited the Bangabandhu Media Centre at the Press Club of India.