Dhaka, Delhi agree to strengthen cooperation in areas of common rivers, cyber-security

Bangladesh and India have agreed to work closely to further strengthen cooperation in the areas of common rivers, water management, cyber-security, energy, agriculture, food security and climate change.

The agreement came at the 7th round of Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting concluded here this evening with issuing a joint statement on the outcome of the meeting.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar co-chaired the meeting held at the city’s Hyderabad House, according to the joint statement issued after the meeting.

It was a first physical meeting held since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic. The previous edition was held virtually in 2020.

During the meeting, the two ministers recalled the warmth shared by both sides, borne out of the shared sacrifices of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, that have forged close historical and friendly relations that transcend the traditional notion of a strategic partnership.

They expressed satisfaction that despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, both countries have worked closer than ever before in every sector, from security and border management to mutually beneficial trade and investment flows.

“A role model for bilateral and regional cooperation, the ministers appreciated that the trust and mutual respect shared between the two countries has only strengthened in the last decade,” the statement said.

In this connection, they referred the launch of the trailer of ‘Mujib – making of a nation’, the jointly produced biopic on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022.

Both the ministers appreciated that in addition to the high-level visits, there has been intensive engagements through various bilateral mechanisms and agreed to further enhance partnership-building efforts with renewed vigour and regularity.

In this regard, both Ministers tasked their officials to accelerate cooperation, with further attention paid to addressing issues and finding durable solutions for the mutual benefit of both the peoples.

Referring to Rohingya issue, both sides reiterated the importance of safe, speedy and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced persons from Rakhine State of Myanmar, who took shelters in deferent camps in Bangladesh.

Acknowledging the excellent bilateral ties shared between the two countries, they reiterated the importance of closer cooperation to expeditiously implement the Leaders’ decisions and to further deepen and strengthen mutual engagement across all sectors of bilateral cooperation.

During his visit in New Delhi, Foreign Minister Momen will also pay courtesy call on Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and other dignitaries of the government of India.

The meeting also decided that the 8th round of India-Bangladesh JCC will be held in Bangladesh next year, the statement added.