With the long-impending conclusion of the Teesta water-sharing deal still hanging in balance despite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s latest India trip, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said they are yet hopeful about the agreement being struck.
“We optimistically look forward to addressing the constraints by the government of India that hinder reaching an agreement on sharing of the water of the Teesta River,” he told the Times of India.
Asked if the bilateral water-sharing issue has been a sticking point in the bilateral ties, he said: “We agree irritants continue to exist on the bilateral water-sharing issue.
“But we believe given the political will to accommodate each other’s vital interests, there are opportunities to solve these issues.”
The premier’s four-day official visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart ended on Thursday. Even though the Teesta deal was the focal point of the tour, it could not be concluded. But the government managed to ink an interim water sharing agreement for the Kushiyara River, the first such pact since the signing of the Ganges water treaty in 1996.
The draft of the Teesta deal was finalized and signed by the water resources secretaries of both countries in early 2011.
On the Rohingya issue, Razzaque, also an Awami League Presidium member, said that Dhaka wants them to return to Myanmar as soon as possible.
“To that end, we seek support from India as well as the international community to nudge the government of Myanmar to take necessary steps to create enabling conditions for the refugees to return,” he furthered.
Citing Rohingyas as a major obstacle in Bangladesh’s development, Razzaque said that their presence in the country indefinitely poses a significant security challenge for the country, which cannot be ignored.
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The most important questions and answers of the interview published on Tuesday proceed as follows:
How would you categorise the visit?
We consider that the visit is taking place at a very opportune time to deepen existing relations between us. Against this rich background of bilateral relations, the visit is also important in the context of prevailing challenges in regional and global politics for the leadership of both countries to sort out responses to these challenges that best serve mutual interests.
How would you describe the state of the bilateral ties now?
From our view, the state of bilateral relations has reached an all-time high. These relations got a boost with the coming to office of PM Narendra Modi in India, and PM Hasina’s foresight to exploit the potential opportunities that benefit both countries.
How sound is the Bangladeshi economy today?
We’ve comfortable levels of foreign exchange reserves. The economy is enjoying healthy growth over the past years, forex reserves are growing. The government can finance imports of necessary goods as well as service loans. The ongoing war in Europe has disrupted global supply chains for energy, food and vital agricultural inputs such as fertiliser. Its impact is also being felt in South Asia. But we’ve taken urgent measures to stabilise domestic food production and ensure a reliable energy supply. It is also looking forward to working with India to search for additional measures to remove emerging constraints in energy supply.
How is Bangladesh navigating the strategic rivalry of big powers?
The cornerstone of Bangladesh’s foreign policy is friendship to all and malice to none. This policy is tailored to maintaining the external environment in regional and global contexts as much favorably as possible to support the country’s economic development. While accommodating the concerns and sensitivities of our partners, Bangladesh will never build relations with any party at the expense of the other. Bangladesh has no interest in poking its nose in irritants between India and China because it believes both countries are well-positioned to sort out any issues between them.