Dhaka raises stalled Teesta deal, trade barriers at FOC

Dhaka raised the stalled Teesta water-sharing deal and trade barriers among major issues at the Bangladesh-India talks held Friday in New Delhi, deemed crucial ahead of Bangladesh's polls.
On the sidelines of the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and India, around 90 Heads of Missions based in New Delhi and concurrently accredited to Bangladesh with residence in the Indian capital were briefed reportedly about Bangladesh's development advances and pre-poll situation.
Addressing post-graduation challenges facing Bangladesh, maintaining regional stability and connectivity also figured high at a the bilateral parley, held at the historic Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra led the respective delegation at the meet.
They discussed ways and means of addressing the challenges to be faced by Bangladesh in post-graduation scenarios, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said in a statement.
Both sides also reiterated that the two border-guard forces should continue their cooperation in having a peaceful border.
Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud raised some key issues, like the urgency of conclusion of the Teesta agreement and other water-sharing treaties on common rivers, removing trade barriers from Bangladesh's exportable goods and ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential commodities between the two neighbouring countries.
The Bangladesh side requested the host to expedite the visa-issuance process to "expand the people-to-people contacts".
He also sought India's assistance in resolving the Rohingya crisis, through their repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar.
The Indian Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, termed Bangladesh a "trusted neighbour" and expressed satisfaction on the "excellent bilateral relations" that exist between the two countries.
He appreciated the participation of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in the recently held virtual meetings of the Global South and G20.
Delhi assured the commitment of the leadership to further strengthening the relationship with Bangladesh.
On a broader scale of peace, he emphasized maintaining stability in the region.
The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary briefed the Heads of Missions based in New Delhi about the current affairs back in his country-where, evidently, many foreign countries and agencies are showing their active engagement.
"During the briefing, he is expected to highlight the recent socioeconomic developments of Bangladesh and the country's various engagements at regional and multilateral levels," a spokesperson for the ministry said prior to the meet getting off to a formal start.
However, before leaving for Delhi, the FS had told the media that he would brief the diplomats about the preparations of the national elections and about governmental commitment to holding a free and fair election.
The FOC serves as a key platform for holding a comprehensive discussion with a view to reviewing various bilateral issues and also exploring new avenues of mutual interests for the greater good of the two peoples.
The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary thanked the Government of India for inviting the Bangladesh Prime Minister to attend the "G20 Leaders' Summit "as the only South Asian leader under India's G20 presidency.
Both the Foreign Secretaries expressed satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations and the progress made in the year 2023.
Referring to the recent inauguration of a number of projects for enhancing connectivity and power-and energy-sector cooperation by the two Prime Ministers, they observed that this sort of cooperation reflects "the tangible outcomes of the strong bilateral relations".
The two Foreign Secretaries further emphasized bolstering cooperation in important areas such as development, trade and commerce, regional connectivity, regional power-grid connection, security and water-related issues, and consular and cultural issues.
The next round of Foreign Office Consultations will be held in Dhaka.
The Foreign Secretary returns to Dhaka today (November 25) on conclusion of his Delhi mission.

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