India has additionally determined to open a brand new assistant excessive fee in Rangpur. (Representational)
New Delhi:
Sending a technical crew by India to Bangladesh quickly for a mega mission to preserve and handle Teesta river, shifting forward to start out negotiations on a complete commerce pact and boosting defence ties have been amongst main outcomes of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.
The 2 sides signed 10 agreements offering for bolstering ties in a spread of essential areas equivalent to digital area, maritime sphere, blue financial system, railways, area, inexperienced expertise, well being and drugs.
Either side additionally firmed up a “futuristic imaginative and prescient” for bringing transformative cooperation between the 2 “trusted” neighbours in a raft of latest areas.
A significant focus of the talks between the 2 prime ministers was to discover methods to shore up India-Bangladesh cooperation in digital and vitality connectivity whilst either side resolved to work in direction of peaceable administration of borders between the 2 international locations.
In his remarks to the media, Modi, describing people-to-people contacts as the muse of ties between the 2 nations, stated India will launch an e-medical visa facility for folks from Bangladesh coming to India for medical therapy.
India has additionally determined to open a brand new assistant excessive fee in Rangpur.
Within the talks, Modi and Hasina additionally resolved to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation together with in areas of defence manufacturing and modernisation of Bangladeshi armed forces and agreed to reinforce engagement on countering terrorism and radicalisation.
The problem of Rohingya refugees in addition to the state of affairs in Myanmar and boosting regional cooperation underneath the framework of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Financial Cooperation) grouping additionally figured within the talks.
“Now we have determined to start out negotiations on the technical stage for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty,” Prime Minister Modi stated.
“On the conservation and administration of the Teesta river in Bangladesh, a technical crew will quickly go to Bangladesh for talks,” he stated in his media assertion, The mega mission assumed significance as China too apparently confirmed curiosity in it. Below the mission, it’s envisaged to construct massive reservoirs and associated infrastructure to handle and preserve Teesta river water.
The transfer on the mission comes amid a long-pending proposal to have a pact on sharing of Teesta water between the 2 international locations.
The deal was set to be signed through the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s go to to Bangladesh in September 2011, however it was postponed on the final minute resulting from objections by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
At a media briefing, Overseas Secretary Vinay Kwatra stated India plans to undertake conservation and administration of the Teesta River inside Bangladesh with appropriate Indian help.
In his remarks, Modi stated Bangladesh is India’s largest improvement associate and New Delhi attaches highest precedence to its relations with that nation.
“Bangladesh is located on the confluence of our Neighbourhood First coverage, Act East coverage, Imaginative and prescient SAGAR and Indo-Pacific imaginative and prescient.
India has been cooperating with the international locations of the Indian Ocean area underneath the broader coverage framework of SAGAR or Safety and Development for all within the Area.
“Now we have stored our deal with connectivity, commerce and collaboration. Within the final 10 years, we’ve restored the connectivity that existed earlier than 1965,” Modi stated.
“Now we’ll emphasise extra on digital and vitality connectivity. This may give impetus to the economies of each international locations,” he stated.
“To take our financial relations to new heights, either side have agreed to start out negotiations on CEPA (Complete Financial Partnership Settlement),” he stated.
The prime minister stated either side determined to increase defence cooperation as effectively.
“We had in depth discussions on additional strengthening defence cooperation, from defence manufacturing to modernisation of armed forces,” he stated.
“Now we have determined to strengthen our engagement on counter-terrorism, de-radicalisation and peaceable administration of borders.” “We share a standard imaginative and prescient for the Indian Ocean area. We welcome Bangladesh’s choice to hitch the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative,” he stated.
In her remarks, Hasina described India as Bangladesh’s main neighbour and a trusted buddy.
“India is our main neighbour, trusted buddy, and regional associate. Bangladesh significantly values our relationships with India, which have been born out of the Conflict of Liberation in 1971,” she stated.
“I recall with gratitude the contribution of the federal government and the folks of India to Bangladesh’s independence,” she stated.
Hasina additionally paid homage to the “courageous fallen heroes of India” who sacrificed their lives within the 1971 battle.
“Right now, we had very productive conferences the place we mentioned cooperation in areas of safety, commerce, connectivity, sharing of water from widespread rivers, energy and vitality, and regional and multilateral cooperation,” she stated.
The Bangladesh prime minister started her two-day go to to India on Friday.
It’s the first incoming bilateral state go to by a overseas chief after the formation of the brand new authorities in India following the Lok Sabha elections.
Within the morning, Hasina visited Rajghat and paid wealthy tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Forward of the talks, the visiting chief was accorded a ceremonial welcome on the fore-court of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Officers stated the main target of the Modi-Hasina talks can be to impart a brand new momentum to the bilateral ties together with in areas of commerce, connectivity and vitality.
Hasina was amongst seven high leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean area who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union council of ministers on June 9.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
