Bangladesh signs deal on joining Asian Highway
Friday, 17 July 2009
Nazmul Ahsan
Bangladesh has signed the instrument of accession relating to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network.
Following this, it has accepted the entry and exit points to India as the international trade routes under the agreement.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on July 5, 2009 signed the Instrument of Accession on behalf of the country. It was sent on the same day to the country's Permanent Representative in the United Nations, New York, for necessary action, sources in the ministry of foreign affairs said.
Earlier, the cabinet decided in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 15, 2009, gave its approval to the decision about Bangladesh's joining, in principle, the much-talked about Asian Highway Network.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was adopted on November 18, 2003 in Bangkok and opened for signature in Shanghai, China from April 26 to 28, 2004 and thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 01, 2004 to December 31, 2005.
According to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network, two routes are considered as the international trade route that crosses more than one sub-region under the Asian Highway connecting Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. These are: 495 kilometres roads, marking its entry point in Benapole, connecting Dhaka, Sylhet and Tamabil and 805 kilometres originating from Banglabandha of Panchargarh, and connects Hati-Kamrul of Sirajganj, Dhaka, Kachpur and Tamabil.
Besides, 752-km route, linking Mongla of Bagherhat, Khulna, Dhaka, Jessore, and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar, will have a sub-regional status in the agreement.
"After signing the Instrument of Accession by Bangladesh, the Asian Highway will go directly to India through the territory of Bangladesh, which will again go to Myanmar through the territory of India," a high official in the Foreign Ministry told the FE.
"Both the entry points or single entry point of Benapole and Banglabandha could be chosen for the route at a latter date."
Asked, he said Mongla-Jessore-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Katchpur-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf-Border of Myanmar route could not be the route for Asian Highway as it has a sub-regional status in the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network.
Officials in the communications ministry said the status of sub-regional route could be changed to an international route or route for Asian Highway, if Bangladesh, India and Myanmar jointly agree for the change as such a provision lies in the agreement.
They, however, said reaching such a common position on changing Asian Highway routes among three-member countries would be difficult if India does not change its stand on the route that Bangladesh had wanted before.
The Asian Highway network is a network of 141,000 kilometres of standardised roadways, crisscrossing 32 Asian countries with linkages to Europe.
The Asian Highway project was initiated in 1959 with the aim of promoting the development of international road transport in the region. During the first phase of the project (1960-1970), considerable progress was achieved. However, progress slowed down when financial assistance was suspended in 1975.
In the 1980s and 1990s, regional political and economic changes spurred new momentum for the Asian Highway Project. It became one of the three pillars of Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by ESCAP Commission at its forty-eight session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway and facilitation of land transport projects.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was adopted on November 18, 2003 by an intergovernmental meeting held in Bangkok. It was made open for signature in April 2004 in Shanghai and entered into force on July 04, 2005.
The then BNP-led alliance government had wanted Mongla-Jessore-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Katchpur-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf- Border of Myanmar route as the route for Asian Highway as on the ground that it, according to the then government, would 'conform' to the goals of its 'Look East Policy' and expedite economic cooperation with Myanmar, China, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The then alliance government had tried to bring about changes in the proposed AHN routes. It did not sign the multi-national deal before the deadline expired on December 31, 2005. A cabinet meeting on December 13, 2005 decided not to sign the agreement without a change in its route map.
So far, 29 Asian countries, including Bangladesh, have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network. Of the total, Bangladesh signed in 2009 and the Philippines in 2005, while the other remaining member countries signed the agreement in 2004.
Bangladesh has signed the instrument of accession relating to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network.
Following this, it has accepted the entry and exit points to India as the international trade routes under the agreement.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on July 5, 2009 signed the Instrument of Accession on behalf of the country. It was sent on the same day to the country's Permanent Representative in the United Nations, New York, for necessary action, sources in the ministry of foreign affairs said.
Earlier, the cabinet decided in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 15, 2009, gave its approval to the decision about Bangladesh's joining, in principle, the much-talked about Asian Highway Network.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was adopted on November 18, 2003 in Bangkok and opened for signature in Shanghai, China from April 26 to 28, 2004 and thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 01, 2004 to December 31, 2005.
According to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network, two routes are considered as the international trade route that crosses more than one sub-region under the Asian Highway connecting Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. These are: 495 kilometres roads, marking its entry point in Benapole, connecting Dhaka, Sylhet and Tamabil and 805 kilometres originating from Banglabandha of Panchargarh, and connects Hati-Kamrul of Sirajganj, Dhaka, Kachpur and Tamabil.
Besides, 752-km route, linking Mongla of Bagherhat, Khulna, Dhaka, Jessore, and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar, will have a sub-regional status in the agreement.
"After signing the Instrument of Accession by Bangladesh, the Asian Highway will go directly to India through the territory of Bangladesh, which will again go to Myanmar through the territory of India," a high official in the Foreign Ministry told the FE.
"Both the entry points or single entry point of Benapole and Banglabandha could be chosen for the route at a latter date."
Asked, he said Mongla-Jessore-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Katchpur-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf-Border of Myanmar route could not be the route for Asian Highway as it has a sub-regional status in the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network.
Officials in the communications ministry said the status of sub-regional route could be changed to an international route or route for Asian Highway, if Bangladesh, India and Myanmar jointly agree for the change as such a provision lies in the agreement.
They, however, said reaching such a common position on changing Asian Highway routes among three-member countries would be difficult if India does not change its stand on the route that Bangladesh had wanted before.
The Asian Highway network is a network of 141,000 kilometres of standardised roadways, crisscrossing 32 Asian countries with linkages to Europe.
The Asian Highway project was initiated in 1959 with the aim of promoting the development of international road transport in the region. During the first phase of the project (1960-1970), considerable progress was achieved. However, progress slowed down when financial assistance was suspended in 1975.
In the 1980s and 1990s, regional political and economic changes spurred new momentum for the Asian Highway Project. It became one of the three pillars of Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by ESCAP Commission at its forty-eight session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway and facilitation of land transport projects.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was adopted on November 18, 2003 by an intergovernmental meeting held in Bangkok. It was made open for signature in April 2004 in Shanghai and entered into force on July 04, 2005.
The then BNP-led alliance government had wanted Mongla-Jessore-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Katchpur-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf- Border of Myanmar route as the route for Asian Highway as on the ground that it, according to the then government, would 'conform' to the goals of its 'Look East Policy' and expedite economic cooperation with Myanmar, China, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The then alliance government had tried to bring about changes in the proposed AHN routes. It did not sign the multi-national deal before the deadline expired on December 31, 2005. A cabinet meeting on December 13, 2005 decided not to sign the agreement without a change in its route map.
So far, 29 Asian countries, including Bangladesh, have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network. Of the total, Bangladesh signed in 2009 and the Philippines in 2005, while the other remaining member countries signed the agreement in 2004.