New Delhi: India's soon dispatch of a technical team to Bangladesh for a mega project to conserve and manage the Teesta river, move to begin negotiations on a comprehensive trade pact and boost defense ties were some of the major outcomes of the talks. talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.
The two sides signed 10 agreements that envision strengthening ties in a variety of critical areas such as digital domain, maritime sphere, blue economy, railways, space, green technology, health and medicine.
Both sides also reaffirmed a "futuristic vision" to bring transformative cooperation between the two "trustworthy" neighbors in a number of new areas. A major focus of the talks between the two prime ministers was to explore ways to shore up cooperation between India and Bangladesh in digital and energy connectivity, even as both parties resolved to work towards the peaceful management of the borders between the two countries.
In his media statement, Modi, describing people-to-people contacts as the basis of ties between the two nations, said India will launch an e-medical visa service for people from Bangladesh coming to India for medical treatment.
India has also decided to open a new deputy high commission in Rangpur. In the talks, Modi and Hasina also resolved to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation, including in areas of defense production and modernization of Bangladesh armed forces, and agreed to enhance engagement in the fight against terrorism and radicalization.
The talks also featured the issue of Rohingya refugees, as well as the situation in Myanmar and the promotion of regional cooperation within the framework of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping.
"We have decided to start negotiations at the technical level for the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty of 1996," said Prime Minister Modi. "On the conservation and management of the Teesta River in Bangladesh, a technical team will soon visit Bangladesh for talks." , he said in his statement to the media. The mega project gained importance because China apparently also showed interest in it. Under the project, it is planned to construct large reservoirs and related infrastructure to manage and conserve water from the Teesta River.
The progress of the project comes amid a long-pending proposal to reach a pact on sharing Teesta water between the two countries.
The agreement was to be signed during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September 2011, but was postponed at the last minute due to objections from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. At a press conference, Secretary of External Affairs, Vinay Kwatra, said India plans to undertake conservation and management of the Teesta River within Bangladesh with adequate Indian assistance.
In his remarks, Modi said Bangladesh is India's largest development partner and New Delhi attaches top priority to its relations with that country.
"Bangladesh is situated at the confluence of our Neighborhood First policy, our Act East policy, Vision SAGAR and our Indo-Pacific vision. India has been cooperating with countries in the Indian Ocean region under the broader SAGAR policy framework o Security and Growth for everyone in the Region.
"We have maintained our focus on connectivity, trade and collaboration. In the last 10 years, we have restored the connectivity that existed before 1965," Modi said.
"We will now put more emphasis on digital and energy connectivity. This will give impetus to the economies of both countries," he said. "To take our economic relations to new heights, both sides have agreed to start negotiations on CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement). ", said.
The prime minister said both sides decided to also expand defense cooperation.
"We had extensive discussions on further strengthening defense cooperation, from defense production to modernization of the armed forces," he said. "We have decided to strengthen our commitment to combating terrorism, deradicalization and peaceful governance. of the borders".
"We share a common vision for the Indian Ocean region. We welcome Bangladesh's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative," he said.
In her remarks, Hasina described India as Bangladesh's main neighbor and a trusted friend. "India is our main neighbor, trusted friend and regional partner. Bangladesh greatly values our relations with India, which were born from the War of Liberation in 1971," he stated.
"I remember with gratitude the contribution of the government and people of India to the independence of Bangladesh," he said.
Hasina also paid tribute to the "brave fallen heroes of India" who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 war. "Today we had very productive meetings where we discussed cooperation in areas of security, trade, connectivity, river water sharing commons, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation," he said.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh began her two-day visit to India on Friday.
This is the first bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the formation of the new government in India following the Lok Sabha elections. In the morning, Hasina visited Rajghat and paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Before the talks, the visiting leader was accorded a welcome ceremony in the courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Officials said the aim of the Modi-Hasina talks would be to give fresh impetus to bilateral relations, including in areas of trade, connectivity and energy. Hasina was among the top seven leaders of India's neighborhood and the region. Indian Ocean who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on June 9.
The two sides signed 10 agreements that envision strengthening ties in a variety of critical areas such as digital domain, maritime sphere, blue economy, railways, space, green technology, health and medicine.
Both sides also reaffirmed a "futuristic vision" to bring transformative cooperation between the two "trustworthy" neighbors in a number of new areas. A major focus of the talks between the two prime ministers was to explore ways to shore up cooperation between India and Bangladesh in digital and energy connectivity, even as both parties resolved to work towards the peaceful management of the borders between the two countries.
In his media statement, Modi, describing people-to-people contacts as the basis of ties between the two nations, said India will launch an e-medical visa service for people from Bangladesh coming to India for medical treatment.
India has also decided to open a new deputy high commission in Rangpur. In the talks, Modi and Hasina also resolved to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation, including in areas of defense production and modernization of Bangladesh armed forces, and agreed to enhance engagement in the fight against terrorism and radicalization.
The talks also featured the issue of Rohingya refugees, as well as the situation in Myanmar and the promotion of regional cooperation within the framework of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping.
"We have decided to start negotiations at the technical level for the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty of 1996," said Prime Minister Modi. "On the conservation and management of the Teesta River in Bangladesh, a technical team will soon visit Bangladesh for talks." , he said in his statement to the media. The mega project gained importance because China apparently also showed interest in it. Under the project, it is planned to construct large reservoirs and related infrastructure to manage and conserve water from the Teesta River.
The progress of the project comes amid a long-pending proposal to reach a pact on sharing Teesta water between the two countries.
The agreement was to be signed during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September 2011, but was postponed at the last minute due to objections from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. At a press conference, Secretary of External Affairs, Vinay Kwatra, said India plans to undertake conservation and management of the Teesta River within Bangladesh with adequate Indian assistance.
In his remarks, Modi said Bangladesh is India's largest development partner and New Delhi attaches top priority to its relations with that country.
"Bangladesh is situated at the confluence of our Neighborhood First policy, our Act East policy, Vision SAGAR and our Indo-Pacific vision. India has been cooperating with countries in the Indian Ocean region under the broader SAGAR policy framework o Security and Growth for everyone in the Region.
"We have maintained our focus on connectivity, trade and collaboration. In the last 10 years, we have restored the connectivity that existed before 1965," Modi said.
"We will now put more emphasis on digital and energy connectivity. This will give impetus to the economies of both countries," he said. "To take our economic relations to new heights, both sides have agreed to start negotiations on CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement). ", said.
The prime minister said both sides decided to also expand defense cooperation.
"We had extensive discussions on further strengthening defense cooperation, from defense production to modernization of the armed forces," he said. "We have decided to strengthen our commitment to combating terrorism, deradicalization and peaceful governance. of the borders".
"We share a common vision for the Indian Ocean region. We welcome Bangladesh's decision to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative," he said.
In her remarks, Hasina described India as Bangladesh's main neighbor and a trusted friend. "India is our main neighbor, trusted friend and regional partner. Bangladesh greatly values our relations with India, which were born from the War of Liberation in 1971," he stated.
"I remember with gratitude the contribution of the government and people of India to the independence of Bangladesh," he said.
Hasina also paid tribute to the "brave fallen heroes of India" who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 war. "Today we had very productive meetings where we discussed cooperation in areas of security, trade, connectivity, river water sharing commons, power and energy, and regional and multilateral cooperation," he said.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh began her two-day visit to India on Friday.
This is the first bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the formation of the new government in India following the Lok Sabha elections. In the morning, Hasina visited Rajghat and paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Before the talks, the visiting leader was accorded a welcome ceremony in the courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Officials said the aim of the Modi-Hasina talks would be to give fresh impetus to bilateral relations, including in areas of trade, connectivity and energy. Hasina was among the top seven leaders of India's neighborhood and the region. Indian Ocean who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on June 9.
