Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India and Bangladesh have decided to extend cooperation in various sectors including IT, space and nuclear energy, which are of interest to the younger generation.
“We have decided to extend cooperation in IT, space and nuclear energy, which are of interest to our younger generations. Talks are also underway between India and Bangladesh on power transmission lines,” PM Modi said in a joint statement with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
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“We will also continue cooperating on climate change and preserving common heritage like Sundarbans,” he added.
PM Modi congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her visit to the country and said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is visiting India during the Amrit Mahotsav of our freedom. And I am sure that the India-Bangladesh friendship will touch new heights in the next 25 years of Amrit Kaal.”
“Last year we celebrated together the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, the golden jubilee of our diplomatic relations, and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The same year, on December 6, we also celebrated the first ‘Friendship Day’ together all over the world.”
Regarding bilateral trade and cooperation, Modi said that today, Bangladesh is India’s largest development partner and trade partner in the region. The two countries look forward to further strengthening their ties.
“Today Bangladesh is India’s largest development partner and our largest trade partner in the region. There has also been a steady increase in our close cultural and people-to-people ties.”
Modi said that Bangladesh has done noticeable development under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh is increasing rapidly.
He underscored that the two leaders held talks on bilateral, regional and global issues. India is the biggest market for exports from Bangladesh and to enhance the trade ties a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries is underway.
Bangladesh-India relations enjoy cooperation and development in almost every area. The two countries have embarked on signing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, which been titled as Bangladesh-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), to reap the benefits of mutual trust and understanding in a range of bilateral issues.
He further said that 54 rivers flow through the India-Bangladesh border and are linked to the livelihood of people in both countries, the two leaders have reached an agreement on the water sharing from the Kushiyara river.
“Today we have signed an important agreement on water sharing from the Kushiyara River. This will benefit Southern Assam in India and Sylhet region in Bangladesh,” he said.
Modi further said, “We have extended our cooperation on flood mitigation. We have been sharing real-time data regarding floods with Bangladesh & have also discussed terrorism. It’s imperative, that we together face the forces that are adversarial to us.”
“We need to take lessons from the Covid pandemic and recent global happenings and must strengthen our economy,” he added.
Today, India and Bangladesh signed seven memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Delhi.
