Dhaka, Sep.6 (ANI): Bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh have begun here a short while ago.
The discussions between the two sides after formal introductions. It began after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called on his counterpart Sheikh Hasina and also met with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni this afternoon.
The Prime Minister's delegation include External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna; the chief ministers of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya; National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon; Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Water Resources Secretary Dhruv Vijai Singh and other senior officials.
The two sides are expected to have both restricted and delegation-level talks on wide range of issues, including cooperation in combatting terrorism, river waters sharing, border mangaement, enhancement of bilateral trade etc.
Earlier, soon after his arrival in Dhaka on a two-day official visit, the first by an Indian head of government in twelve years, Prime Minister Singh visited the War Memorial dedicated to martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and laid a wreath at the National Martyrs Mausoleum. He also visited the Bangabandhu National Museum to pay homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the valiant son of Bangladesh.
The bilateral discussions are expected to focus on further consolidating the process set in motion during the landmark visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January, 2010, to craft a new paradigm in bilateral relations.
India and Bangladesh are hoping to put in place a broad-based agenda of cooperation in areas, including trade and investments, infrastructure, power, water resources, border management, education, cultural contacts, people-to-people exchanges, better border and transport infrastructure or what is called connectivity.
Both sides are expected to iron out any divergences and lay a firm foundation for mutually beneficial engagement, to enhance trust, cooperation and stability not only between both countries, but in South Asia as a whole.
Both countries beleive substantial progress has been made in a number of areas since Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last year.
These include a joint headcount in the enclaves which was conducted in July 2011; a joint survey of territories under adverse possession which was conducted in West Bengal, Tripura , Assam and Meghalaya; electrification of Dahagram and Angarporta; commencement of the signing of the strip maps on August 20, 2011.
On the issue of border management and security, both governments have put in place a coordinated border management plan which was signed between the two sides in July, 2011 during Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram's visit to Dhaka.
Both countries have also ratified three security-related agreements, which were signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last year.
In the water sector, the 37th meeting of the Joint River Commission was held in March, 2010 and the principles of water-sharing agreements was finalized at the secretary-level meeting in January, 2011.
The dredging of the Ichamati River has been undertaken and completed. River bank protection and embankment repair works of various common river ways is underway.
There has also been an exchange of information on flood forecasting.
In the power sector, both governments signed a bulk power transmission sgreement in June, 2010.
A Memorandum of Understanding was also inked between the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to undertake a feasibility study in Khulna and Chittagong, which was signed in August, 2010.
The construction of transmission lines and HVDC station for India-Bangladesh Grid Connectivity has in fact commenced.
On trade and connectivity, India and Bangladesh have declared Ashuganj and Silghat as ports of call with customs notification carried out in Silghat.
A Memorandum of Understandingon border haats for border trade was signed in October, 2010, and the border haat at Kalaichar in Meghalaya was inaugurated in July, 2011.
There has also been an increase in TRQ (Tariff - rate Quota) from 8 million to 10 million pieces of garments announced in April, 2011 during the visit of our Commerce Minister to Bangladesh.
Both countries have also ratified the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement.
As regards of Lines of Credits Projects, India had agreed to extend the largest ever Line of Credit of one billion dollars to Bangladesh, when Sheikh Hasina was here. So far, of the 20 projects that were under consideration, 13 worth 750 million dollars, have been finalized.
The two countries jointly celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
There have also been a number of high-level visits from India to Bangladesh, reflecting the importance New Delhi attaches to its relationship with Dhaka.
There is also satisfaction on both sides about two-way trade crossing the five billion dollars in 2010-11.
Both sides are also satisfied that Bangladesh exports to India have grown by 68 per cent in the last one year.
India has acknowledged that there is still a large trade imbalance favouring it vis-a-viz Bangladesh, and is determined to address the issue by providing better market access into India for Bangladeshi goods, besides other imaginative measures. By Smita Prakash (ANI)
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