Indo-Bangla FS-level talks begin in city
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Bangladesh and India opened talks covering entire range of longstanding issues, starting from trade imbalance to transportation and water sharing to border demarcation, on a 'positive' note struck by both sides, reports UNB.
Indian Foreign Secretary (FS) Shiv Shankar Menon and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary-in-Charge Touhid Hossain are leading their respective sides at the talks, being held after over two years, at the state guest house Padma.
"We've positive and constructive talks," Menon told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.
He would not be specific about the issues that came up for discussion Monday as the two sides will meet again today (Tuesday).
A senior Foreign Ministry official told the news agency that all issues were placed on the table for discussion "in a cordial atmosphere, but nothing was made final on the first day".
However, the official said an memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed today (Tuesday) to ensure quality and standard of Bangladeshi goods to be exported to India.
On Sealdah-Joydevpur train service, the official said a railway team from India would visit Dhaka before formal inauguration of the cross-border travels in July-August.
On duty-free access of Bangladeshi products, the Indian side agreed to form a committee to examine more duty-free items from Bangladesh in a bid to reduce a huge trade surplus for India.
The meeting agreed to reactivate all structural mechanisms, like Joint Border Working Group and Joint Committee of Experts, to deal with issues of border demarcation and the sharing of waters of the common rivers.
A Home Secretary-level meeting between the two countries will be held in New Delhi shortly, the officials said.
Indian Foreign Secretary (FS) Shiv Shankar Menon and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary-in-Charge Touhid Hossain are leading their respective sides at the talks, being held after over two years, at the state guest house Padma.
"We've positive and constructive talks," Menon told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.
He would not be specific about the issues that came up for discussion Monday as the two sides will meet again today (Tuesday).
A senior Foreign Ministry official told the news agency that all issues were placed on the table for discussion "in a cordial atmosphere, but nothing was made final on the first day".
However, the official said an memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed today (Tuesday) to ensure quality and standard of Bangladeshi goods to be exported to India.
On Sealdah-Joydevpur train service, the official said a railway team from India would visit Dhaka before formal inauguration of the cross-border travels in July-August.
On duty-free access of Bangladeshi products, the Indian side agreed to form a committee to examine more duty-free items from Bangladesh in a bid to reduce a huge trade surplus for India.
The meeting agreed to reactivate all structural mechanisms, like Joint Border Working Group and Joint Committee of Experts, to deal with issues of border demarcation and the sharing of waters of the common rivers.
A Home Secretary-level meeting between the two countries will be held in New Delhi shortly, the officials said.