India on Saturday announced to send a technical team to Bangladesh to discuss 鈥榗onservation and management of the Teesta River in Bangladesh鈥� as the bilateral talks between prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi ended in New Delhi without any breakthrough in the long pending water sharing deal on the common river.聽
The two leaders, however, decided to start technical level discussions for renewal of the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty expiring in 2026.
Both sides also agreed to begin negotiations on a proposed 鈥楥omprehensive economic partnership agreement鈥� between the two neighbours.聽
鈥榃e have decided to start technical level discussions for renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty. A technical team will soon visit Bangladesh to discuss conservation and management of the Teesta River in Bangladesh,鈥� said Narendra Modi in a press statement after the bilateral meeting at the Hyderabad House.
India has very recently expressed its willingness to support a mega development plan on the trans-boundary River Teesta inside Bangladesh, where China has already shown its interest and completed a survey for a $1 billion project.
The Bangladesh side once again pressed for bringing the incidents of killing Bangladeshi civilians by the Indian Border Security Force along the border to zero level, energy cooperation and smooth supply of essential commodities, while the Indian side expressed interest in using both Mongla and Chittagong ports and rail network for easing connectivity with its north-eastern聽 states, according to officials concerned.聽
鈥榃e had comprehensive discussions on further strengthening our defence cooperation, from defence production to modernisation of armed forces. We have decided to strengthen our cooperation on counter-terrorism, countering radicalism and peaceful management of the border,鈥� said Modi in the statement, an English translation of which was made available on the official site of the External Affairs Ministry of India.聽
In her statement, Sheikh Hasina said that Dhaka and New Delhi agreed about a shared vision for digital and green partnerships to ensure a sustainable future for both the nations, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
鈥楾oday, our two sides had very productive meetings where we discussed politics and security, trade and connectivity, the sharing of water from common rivers, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation, among other issues of mutual interest,鈥� BSS quoted her as saying after the one-to-one meeting and the bilateral talks.聽
Describing India as Bangladesh鈥檚 major neighbour, trusted friend, and regional partner, she said, 鈥楤angladesh greatly values our relations with India, which were born during our War of Liberation in 1971.鈥�
After the delegation-level talks, Dhaka and New Delhi signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding, including seven new and three renewed ones, in the presence of the two prime ministers.
Greeting Hasina as their first state guest, Modi, who took over as prime minister of India for the third consecutive term on June 9, said that they had met almost ten times in the past one year.
鈥業n last one year, we have completed many important public welfare projects together. Between Akhaura-Agartala, the 6th India-Bangladesh cross-border rail link has been started. Cargo facility for India鈥檚 north-eastern states has been started through Khulna-Mongla Port. Mongla Port has been connected by rail for the first time,鈥� the Indian prime minister said.
He also mentioned that electricity export from Nepal to Bangladesh via the Indian grid had become the first example of sub-regional cooperation in the energy sector.聽
鈥楾oday we have prepared a futuristic vision for cooperation in new areas. Youth of both countries will benefit from the agreement reached on cooperation in a lot of areas such as green partnership, digital partnership, blue economy, space. India- Bangladesh 鈥淢aitri Satellite鈥� will give new heights to our partnership. We have kept in our focus- Connectivity, Commerce and Collaboration,鈥� he said.
He also announced that India would launch the e-medical visa facility for people coming from Bangladesh to India for medical treatment.
鈥榃e have decided to open a new Assistant High Commission in Rangpur to facilitate the people of the North-Western region of Bangladesh,鈥� Modi added.
Hasina paid her last bilateral visit to India in September 2022 and later attended the G20 Summit held under the Presidency of India in September 2023 in New Delhi as the leader of 鈥楪uest Country鈥�.聽
鈥楤oth countries endorsed the 鈥渧ision statement鈥� to guide us toward a peaceful and prosperous future. We agreed to have a shared vision for 鈥渄igital partnership鈥� and 鈥済reen partnership for a sustainable future鈥�,鈥� Hasina said.聽聽
Briefing reporters at a hotel in New Delhi, Bangladesh foreign minister Hasan Mahmud said that the delegation-level talks featured issues of bilateral interests, including connectivity, joint management and water sharing of 54 common rivers, trade, security, border management, and introduction of quota for Bangladesh to import essential commodities from India.
鈥楾he issue of connectivity was elaborately discussed and India expressed interest so that India鈥檚 eastern states can use Chattogram and Mongla ports,鈥� he said.
Regarding border killings, Hasan said that the two countries politically agreed to bring down the border killings to zero, but such incidents keep occurring. 鈥楽o, the issue came up for discussion to end the border killings,鈥� he added.
Of the seven new MoUs signed, one was on the field of blue economy and maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean region, BSS reported.
Another new MoU was signed between the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of India for joint oceanographic research in the Indian Ocean and capacity building.
An MoU on extending rail connectivity between the two countries, one on India- Bangladesh digital partnership another on green partnership for a sustainable future were also signed.
Another MoU between the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre under the Department of Space and Bangladesh鈥檚 Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology was signed for collaboration on a joint small satellite project. An MoU between the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India and Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur, Bangladesh was also signed highlighting cooperation concerning military education in strategic and operational studies.
Three renewed MoUs concern cooperation in fisheries, disaster management and cooperation in the health and medicine.
Sheikh Hasina returned home later in the evening after concluding her two-day state visit at the invitation of Narendra Modi, her second visit within 15 days as she had attended administering of oath to the Indian PM on June 9.
New Delhi has long been foot-dragging on the Teesta water-sharing treaty with Dhaka, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of the people in the Rangpur region.
After finalisation of the draft of the Teesta deal by the two sides, India backtracked on signing the treaty just hours before the arrival of then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in Dhaka on September 6, 2011, on the plea that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee objected to the agreement.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, like his predecessor, continued to promise to conclude the interim agreements on sharing the waters of seven trans-boundary rivers, the Teesta in particular, amid repeated requests from Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on almost every occasion they met.
