Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Bangladesh’s former ambassador to China Munshi Faiz Ahmed. Photo : TDM
Dhaka is set to raise the longstanding Teesta water sharing issue along with other issues of mutual interest including the bilateral connectivity projects during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ensuing talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit next week.
Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the Bangladesh Premier is scheduled to fly to India on September 8 to attend the prestigious G20 Summit, alongside 50-60 more global leaders and the heads of government, as part of an outreach programme for her.
A highly placed source in the PMO, who is also going to be a part of the Prime Minister’s entourage, said that the PM is going to join the G20 Summit on an invitation from her Indian counterpart and that she will cover an array of bilateral and multilateral issues during her talks in the neighbouring country.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Sunday said, “We have the issue of Teesta water sharing that the PM will certainly raise. We have other issues. We have 54 common rivers.”
Adding that the Ganges water treaty is another issue, he noted that the prolonged negotiations resulted in the 1996 signing of the 30-year Bangladesh-India Ganges water-sharing deal, which will expire by 2026.
While responding to a question, the Foreign Secretary said that Dhaka and New Delhi had always discussed the Teesta issue at the highest political level. “We always kept it on the discussion agenda. This time too, we expect the Prime Minister will talk about it.”
The Bangladesh side thinks the water-sharing issues between the two countries would be resolved through discussions as the two countries are ‘mentally agreed’ to work on the basis of mutual understanding.
The Foreign Secretary earlier on Saturday said bilateral connectivity projects will feature ‘prominently’ during PM Sheikh Hasina's upcoming meeting with her Indian counterpart in New Delhi.
"Bangladesh’s connectivity initiatives along the other sides of its borders with India are also witnessing diverse forms of investment, including the inauguration of a diesel pipeline across the northern part this year," he said.
When asked, Bangladesh's former ambassador to China Munshi Faiz Ahmed said Bangladesh should be happy joining a prestigious international event like G20 Summit. Hence, he said, Dhaka should not take any hardline regarding the longstanding Teesta issue – especially in this election year.
Recalling earlier discussions, PM Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s long-pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta River, the draft of which was finalised in 2011.
During PM Hasina’s state visit to India in September last year, both leaders also directed the officials to work together to address issues such as pollution in rivers and to improve riverine environment and river navigability in respect of common rivers.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s participation at the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 will add yet another feather to the ‘Golden Chapter’ in Dhaka-Delhi ties.
The bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Hasina and her Indian counterpart Modi will be held during her visit to India.
TDM/SD
