India has been one of Bangladesh’s most important development partners ever since our independence. As our closest regional neighbour, not only is it a generally good idea for our nation to maintain its friendly diplomatic relations with their country but we need to take every opportunity afforded to us to take that relationship to the next level.
To that end, India’s recent announcement of an e-medical visa facility for Bangladeshis seeking medical services in India would go a long way to ease the process of getting a visa to India and is indeed a very good sign of our blossoming bilateral relations.
However, one area that always has room for improvement is trade and commerce -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently called for increased dialogue to remove the lingering challenges which hold both of our nations from benefiting from a better flow of trade. While India has highlighted the importance of Bimstec in this endeavour, the importance of bilateral trade beyond corridors should not be forgotten.
Bangladesh has rapidly made its presence known in the international stage, along with our immediate medium-term goals to become a middle income economy fostering new and maintaining existing trade relations is going to be imperative over the coming years. Lingering issues such as water sharing and the occasional flare-ups which occur between our borders will require diplomatic nuance in order to address them.
In the current globalized world, mutual respect between nations is what paves the way to development for all. Bangladesh’s growth has been stellar, but with a little help from our neighbors that growth can reach the stratosphere.