International Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Gowher Rizvi said it was not possible to begin new negotiation on Teesta water sharing agreement.
He was speaking at the seventh round of Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue held at a city hotel yesterday.
The adviser said both sides have already agreed to sign an agreement and Bangladesh hopes that the agreement would be signed soon on that basis.
“The ball is now in India’s court,” he said.
During the visit of the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2011, the two countries were supposed to sign the Teesta water sharing agreement, but due to strong resistance from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it could not have happened.
About the border killings, he said though the number of murders has gone down the government is not satisfied.
“One death is too many,” he said adding unacceptability and high emotions are attached with the border killings.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque in his remark said given the global balance of power shifting towards Asia, it is time to look at Bangladesh-India relations from the strategic angle.
He also rolled out four areas of future cooperation where both the countries can strengthen their relationship.
Basin-wide river management, connectivity, energy security and combating terrorism and violent extremism are the areas, he said.
“The comprehensive basin-wide solution in this sector with an inbuilt solution to water sharing for all common rivers would hold the key,” he said.
About connectivity, he said the BBIN motor vehicle agreement has already laid the foundation for more initiatives and with connectivity there would be changes in the economy, trade flow as well as in the field of security.
About the rise of terrorism and violent extremism, he said it could jeopardize both countries’ journey towards peace and stability.
He was of the view that cyber security would be the prerequisite for facing smart digital South Asia.
About energy security, he said it would be another important factor of bilateral future relations.
Joint Secretary of Indian Ministry of External Affair Sripriya Rananathan said her government is deeply grateful to Bangladesh for apprehending and repatriating many insurgents who had been causing problems to its northeastern states.
She said agencies of both the countries are currently talking to each others to try to find out the location of the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman believed to be hiding in India.
About border killing, she said the death along the border is yet to be eliminated. “This is unacceptable and we have to address the problem.”
She said if anything affects the security of Bangladesh would affect the security of India and vice versa.
“In the peace and economic development of our northeast lies in the peace and economic development of Bangladesh as well,” she said.
