India's support for Teesta project will be good for Bangladesh: FM

India's assistance with the Teesta river water management project would be good for Bangladesh, as it is a common river for both the countries, said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday.
Talking to reporters at the foreign ministry, he said that both China and India offered help to implement the Teesta River water management project envisaged by Bangladesh.
Bangladesh opted for implementing the project sensing the possibility of not having any deal with India on the water sharing of the Teesta.

In 2011, both the countries finalised the draft of the deal to be signed during the Dhaka visit of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but at the last moment India backed out of the deal due to the opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
During the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, both the countries discussed the Teesta issue and it was announced that a technical committee formed by India would visit the Teesta project area soon to find out the scope of assistance with the project.
Responding to a question, the foreign minister says that Bangladesh has been successfully maintaining a balanced foreign policy that based on friendship to all. And the upcoming China visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an example of that balanced stance, he added.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said that train connectivity from Bangladesh to Bhutan and Nepal is planned and it will benefit the people of the region, he mentioned.
Responding to another question, he said that as Bangladesh has no extradition treaty with the UK, the government has failed to bring back BNP leader Tarique Rahman, who is convicted in the '21 August Grenade attack' case.
"But, we have been trying other options to bring him back," he added.
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